Mass Effect: For the love of Edi (AU)
by Daniel Sullivan
Summary: John Shepard's true love was the Normandy. It had been so since he took command while chasing Saren. When Ashley spurned him on Horizon, he found solace in that love. But after the Reaper war began, something happened that changed everything: Edi, the Normandy's AI, acquired a body. Could the Normandy itself, at long last, return his love in kind?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The trap had been sprung, but Edi was prepared for that. She had been unprepared for the ferocity and strength of Eva's attacks, and considered the damage to the ship to be unfortunate, though the outcome was beneficial to the Normandy and her crew. Edi looked down at herself … looking down at her hands, her torso, and her legs … it was a new experience. She now had the form of a human being, albeit with a synthetic polymer skin. Originally, the body had an artificial epidermis, though this had been burned off in Eva's shuttle collision with Vega. Edi found herself thankful that the body beneath the epidermis was not a skeletal structure, as this would be immediately disquieting to the crew.

The AI core was flooded with smoke, and the fire extinguishing system had doused the room with a fine mist, making regular vision difficult. Edi's new platform, however, could see in spectrums of light that humans could not, and as the door opened, she could see three men entering. Two had fire extinguishers, but the third wore an Alliance officer's battle dress uniform. She knew immediately that it was Commander Shepard.

"Edi, talk to me," he said, concern evident in his voice.

She restored the main systems as she stood and walked through the mist to greet the commander in the manner that humans did for the very first time. "Is there a particular topic you wish to discuss … Shepard?"

One of the soldiers drew his pistol and raced ahead of Shepard, pointing it at her.

"Edi?" Shepard was still unsure.

She looked at her limbs, watching her hand move, feeling the joints and motors as they made the hand move. "Yes."

"You're in Doctor Eva's body," he observed, motioning for the soldiers to lower their weapons.

"Not all of me, but I have control of it." She folded her arms and shifted her weight to one leg in the manner than she had seen Miranda do. "It was not a seamless transition."

"A transition?" He paused, looking at her. "You blacked out on us for a while."

Edi profiled her body and folded her arms, curious to see first-hand if different postures actually affected the moods of humans. Shepard showed no signs of being affected initially, but she resolved to continue the experiment, suddenly, she had a keen interest in the commander, and possessing a physical avatar would facilitate more direct observation.

"Correct. When we brought this unit on board, I began a background process to search for information on the Prothean device. This eventually triggered a trap – a backup power source and CPU activated, and the unit attempted physical confrontation. Fortunately, I gained root access, and repurposed the unit as I saw fit. During the process it … struggled. Thus the fire."

Shepard seemed alarmed. "Edi, you need to alert us about incidents like this. You shouldn't have done this alone."

"Bringing the crew up to speed would have been counterproductive. All attempts to help would have been limited by reaction time."

The fire control system ceased discharging its fine mist, the fires now fully extinguished. The two soldiers who had entered with Shepard looked around, and then back at each other, unsure of what to make of it all. Shepard motioned for them to leave, prompting them to salute and depart, leaving Edi alone with Shepard.

"So if you're in there, are you still in the ship?"

"I exist primarily within the ship," Edi explained. "For optimal control, this unit should remain within Normandy's broadcast or tight beam range."

"Are you planning to take that body somewhere?"

"Normandy's weaponry is not suited to every combat situation. This platform could provide limited fire ground support."

Shepard seemed pleasantly surprised. "You mean you could come with us?"

"Correct. This body could accompany you to areas the Normandy cannot reach."

"Before we do that, I need you to guarantee that this mech doesn't have any more surprises in it." He then folded his arms. "Run whatever tests you can. Then we can talk about using it in combat situations."

"One moment," she replied. "I am running trials. Complete. I can send you a full report if you wish." Then another priority manifested. "However, my first step should be restoring functionality to the Normandy to reassure the crew that all is normal."

"Just don't be surprised if the crew is a little wary of your new body; it was shooting at them a little while ago."

"An excellent point. I will take it to the bridge. Joker will also want to see it."

"On that we can agree."

Edi departed … or at least her body did. She was omnipresent in the ship, so she never really departed from any location aboard the Normandy. Shepard's last remark had been uttered with a tone of … she could not identify it. It was not humor, but almost a friendly warning.

Edi walked out past Doctor Chakwas, who did a double take at the sight of Doctor Eva's body being up and about.

"Do not worry, Doctor Chakwas," Edi assured. "I have control of this body now."

"Thank Heaven for that," Chakwas exclaimed. "Is … everything alright?"

"Yes; I am restoring functionality to the Normandy as we speak. I am on my way to see Joker on the bridge now."

"You'd better put some clothes on, Edi."

"Why?"

"Edi, you're naked. And you're … how shall I put it … you have full replication of the human anatomy."

"While that is true, I exist primarily within the ship. This body is merely a mechanical vessel. Our crew knows me. This should not be a problem."

"Whatever you say, Edi. Whatever you say."

Edi stepped out of the lift and into the CIC, and immediately, Specialist Traynor did a double take. She stammered, blushed, and looked away, then back again, unable to hide her arousal from Edi's sensors. Traynor had already exhibited sexual attraction for her. Now that Edi had a body, Traynor was beside herself.

"Do not worry, Specialist Traynor," Edi assured. "I am still Edi, and there is no chance of Doctor Eva resurfacing."

"Worry … me?" Traynor stammered the question.

"I am glad that you approve of my acquiring this unit," Edi replied. "I will be on the bridge if you should need me."

Edi walked through the CIC, garnering stares from the crew. When she stepped onto the bridge, Joker turned, and his eyes went wide, his mouth both dropping open and smiling at the same time.

"Hot damn! I think I just died and went to Heaven!" Joker actually wiped a bit of drool from his lips as he leered at Edi. It was very uncharacteristic of him; when her holographic interface was active, he never looked at her like that. And what did he mean about having died and gone to Heaven?"

"Joker, I serve in the same capacity as I did before. Only now, I can assist Shepard in the field should the need arise. Why do you look at me like this?"

"Have you looked in the mirror, Edi? Cause you're smokin' hot!"

"Ah, I see; you view me as Specialist Traynor does."

"Uh … is that alright?"

Edi nodded. "I am not offended; I merely make an observation."

"Cool!"

Edi wondered why he thought she would be offended. She analyzed him via the ship's diagnostics and realized that Joker was aroused in her presence. She now understood Shepard's comment, and why Doctor Chakwas had admonished her to put on clothes. She wondered why Shepard did not react as Joker and Traynor did.

"Was that Edi that just walked by?" The question was rhetorical; Chakwas knew that it was Edi, and Shepard knew that she knew.

"Yes it was," he declared.

"Ha, Joker is going to have a field day!"

Shepard worried that Chakwas was correct. He hoped that Joker's work would not suffer … and that he would not make Edi uncomfortable. As a free willed synthetic, Edi was capable of emotions. She had already demonstrated emotional attachment and loyalty to the crew, and considered some of them to be her friends. But she had never experienced being hit on by another human being. Even Shepard had to admit that he was attracted to her; that was part of why after his initial joy at her declaring she could accompany him, he had immediately folded his arms and told her to run tests. He needed to take his focus off of the attraction and be professional with her.

Edi had grown to be a friend of his, and as the soul of the Normandy, he considered her to be one of his closest companions. He worried for Edi as she entered what for her, was an entirely new world. He looked back on his interactions with synthetic lifeforms and lamented that those interactions had been almost entirely hostile. Not that he had been given a lot of choice, as those interactions were almost entirely limited to the Geth, Rogue AIs that had already killed people, Doctor Eva, and of course, the Reapers. Only Legion and Edi stood out, and he wanted things with Edi to be different. Shepard vowed to do the very best that he could to help Edi assimilate into the Normandy crew.

"Jeff, a question occurs to me, one prompted by my observations of Commander Shepard and the Normandy crew."

Joker continued to stare at her, transfixed by Edi's appearance.

"Perhaps I should go elsewhere," she offered, seeing that her presence seemed to affect his ability to function.

"Oh no, Edi; I think having you here is … good for morale … yeah, that's it! Go ahead?"

"Very well. Do you believe that I should make changes to my core programming, which was constructed by Cerberus programmers, now that I am both free willed and free ranging?"

He held his hands up, shaking his head. "Way above my pay grade! Well, you could give me a raise; wouldn't change my pay, but …"

She knew what he was alluding to, but did not see why he chose to make that particular joke in response to her question. He had been a member of Shepard's crew from the beginning, and one of the Commander's closest friends. Edi was certain that Joker could give an answer without fear of admonishment by Shepard.

"Jeff, I now possess an avatar that enables me to both interact with the crew as a person does, and to join the commander on missions. This changes my operational parameters and alters the variables. This raises other questions, such as refusal to obey an order on moral grounds, for example."

"Well, if he orders you to get dressed, I think you should definitely disobey that one, Edi. Samantha would agree, I'm sure."

"Jeff …" Edi turned back to the view from the cockpit. As the stars sped by, she was for the first time, taken in by the grandeur of the view from inside of the ship. It was a new experience, and she felt a spike in positive feedback. _This must be what humans feel when they like something_ , she thought to herself. But Edi also felt what she thought humans would call frustration; she needed context and guidance on human interaction, but all Jeff seemed concerned with was the aesthetics of her new body. Suddenly, she made the connection; she knew of women complaining that men only appreciated them for their bodies, and not for who they were. Edi realized that she was experiencing this right now.

The door opened and Shepard entered, a folded garment in his left arm.

"Hey, Commander," Jeff exclaimed in a loud whisper, "check out my copilot!"

"So she installed herself into the new body without any help from you?"

Edi noticed that Shepard's vocal tones and inflections indicated disapproval. Was it of her? Or did he have some question about Jeff's motivations? Jeff had no part in her installing herself into Eva's body, but in light of Jeff's behavior since her arrival, Shepard's concerns were starting to make sense.

Joker turned to face both Shepard and Edi. "Come on, Commander. Don't you trust me?" Joker shook his head. "Okay, let me put it this way: if I knew that Edi was going to install herself into a sexy robot body, do you honestly think I'd be able to keep quiet about it?" His voice was filled with glee. Then he held up his hands as though to frame a picture. "Look at that! I would've baked a cake!"

Edi was actually beginning to understand why human women found men leering at them to be disconcerting. She also found that she did not like it when she was talked about as though she were not even present.

"I am right here, Jeff."

He turned back to the Normandy's instrument panel, a contented smile on his face. "Yes, you are Edi. Yes, you are."

Shepard shook his head and then went around to Edi's right side. Leaning over her shoulder, he placed the garment on the right arm of Edi's chair.

"Hello, Shepard," she said, standing up to greet him.

"Still getting used to greeting people in person?"

"No," she replied. "I require only one occurrence to adapt to a new concept."

"How are you adjusting to the arms and legs?"

"I am interested to see how this body performs under real combat conditions, if I could accompany you sometime," Edi explained, stretching her limbs, pushing her bosom forward, curious to see Shepard's reaction. She noted that while he experienced slight pupil dilation, and slight increases in his thermal readings, he was not aroused as Jeff was. She resumed a more casual posture and continued. "Without stress testing, there is no way of knowing if it has serious design oversights. At the moment, it appears adequate."

"That's not the word I'd use to describe you," Joker said from his perch in the pilot's chair.

Jeff was still aroused, and she was certain that she could guess the word he had in mind. Clearly, he would be of no help in answering her questions, as Jeff could do nothing more than leer at her and fantasize. This simply would not do, so she ignored him and looked at Shepard.

"Perhaps we should speak privately," she suggested.

Shepard nodded, and led her from the cockpit. She could see Joker turn, his eyes following her every movement as she left.

"I'll be over here, flying the ship," he said in a flat, monotone.

The door closed behind them, offering a modicum of privacy. She folded her hands behind her back and pulled her shoulders back, accentuating her curves, particularly those of her chest. Then she waited for him to address her, and to see what his subtle, nonverbal reactions to her change in posture might be.

"What's this about? Does Joker not like your new platform?"

"No, he approves," she clarified. "He wants me on the bridge. He says having me within visual range is important to his morale." She knew that it was actually not his morale that he was concerned with, but no need to embarrass Jeff to the commander. This conversation was about her questions.

"Shepard, do you believe your crewmembers should be allowed to disobey an order on moral grounds?"

"Absolutely," he said readily, nodding as he spoke. "I have no use for team members who can't think for themselves."

She had suspected that this would be his response, but it was refreshing to hear it, particularly from someone in a command position.

"Why are you asking about something like that?"

"I was designed by Cerberus," she explained. "I do not take moral stances that conflict with orders from my executive officers. But when Jeff removed my AI shackles, I became capable of self-modifying my core programming." She walked past him, so as to offer him a view of her profile, and then her posterior, also so as to not stand perfectly still as they spoke, as she had noted that humans tended to make series of small movements and changes in position as they spoke.

"I asked Jeff if he thought I should change anything now that I can. He deflected the question with humor."

"And you didn't get an answer," Shepard concluded. Shepard now stood side by side with her, looking in the same direction as she; down at the CIC, rather than at her.

"Correct," she affirmed. Then she turned abruptly to face him, also moving further into his personal space, looking up at him. He was taller than most humans. Now that she was not viewing him from the ship's internal cameras, she had to crane her neck to look him in the eyes.

"He has repeated this pattern in response to several of my inquiries," she went on. "Do you think I should make modifications?"

"Only you can really answer that question," he replied. "That's the point of free will."

She looked down momentarily, not expecting his answer. Instead of answering her question directly, he pointed her back to her free will, reminding her that it was indeed her decision to make. The prospect intrigued, and perhaps even excited her. But she could not be cavalier about it.

"But moral decisions should not be made in a vacuum," she replied. "If I do not ask the crew for their opinion, I could miss crucial context." She then leaned in a little closer, bowing her head slightly to affect a demure attitude. "May I ask you the questions Jeff avoids? If there is time, will you answer them for me?"

He shrugged. "If you think it'll help, I'll do what I can."

"Very well," she said, satisfied with his response, and smiling slightly. "I will keep you informed."

She turned and walked back to the cockpit, Shepard following her, again walking around to her right as she sat down.

"This is for you, Edi," he said softly. "I wanted you to feel more like one of the crew."

She turned and looked up at him, and he smiled at her, but left the bridge before she could formulate an appropriate response. She looked at the garment; it was an Alliance field jumpsuit, similar to what Miranda had worn when she served as the Normandy's XO, only it was white with blue, and emblazoned with the Alliance emblem. _This may help Joker to concentrate_ , she thought.

"I will return shortly, Jeff."

"Can't wait, Edi," Joker replied enthusiastically, not seeing the uniform tucked carefully under her arm.

Edi had no cabin of her own, so she returned to the AI core, where Eva's body had been housed after its capture by Shepard. As she walked through the med-bay to get there, Doctor Chakwas greeted her.

"How did your first interaction with the crew go, Edi?"

"Not as I had predicted," Edi replied. "Specialist Traynor and Joker were both unable to function in my presence, and the rest of the crew just stared at me. Only you and the Commander have engaged me in genuine conversation."

"They honestly don't know what to make of you, Edi," the doctor tried to assure.

"For most of the crew, that would make sense," Edi countered. "But most of the crew does not know me as Jeff does, nor have they interacted with me as much as Specialist Traynor did during the retrofits. I did expect a degree of infatuation form Traynor, as she flirted with me during the retrofits, but not from Jeff."

"She … flirted with you?" Chakwas folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes; she was highly aroused by my voice."

"I always like to think that nothing surprises me, but I'm always proven wrong," Chakwas mused. "Next you'll be telling me that you're swooning for the Commander."

"As a free willed sentient, romantic affection is theoretically possible for me feel. Swooning, however, implies being overcome by infatuation, something to which I do not believe myself vulnerable."

"You may not be, but Joker, Traynor, and likely some others among the crew are."

"I have become aware of this," Edi agreed. "The commander brought me this uniform, which should minimize any such effect I might have on the crew."

"Good thinking on his part," the doctor observed.

"Agreed," Edi began. She was about to walk away, when she decided to confer with Chakwas about her experiments. "Doctor, you mentioned 'swooning' for Shepard. I do not swoon, but I am intrigued by him. I have been effecting changes in posture, proximity, facial expression, and vocal tones, and observing his reactions."

"You're … using the commander for a social experiment?" Chakwas sounded cross.

"No," Edi quickly retorted. "No, not social experiments. He is … unlike any human I have encountered. I observed him at length during our time with Cerberus, and on the Collector mission. Shepard did things that no commanding officer would ever do; he prioritized Miranda's sister, Jacob's father, Samara's Daughter, Thane's son, and Mordin's assistant … he helped Garrus and Jack both to find closure, Kasumi to reacquire memories of a dead lover, and Grunt to find a place in Clan Urdnot. No commanding officer, no matter how caring or kind, would prioritize the personal matters of their crew so fully as Shepard … and yet, he did what nobody else in the galaxy could do; take down the Collector base, and forestall the Reaper invasion once again."

"Well … he _is_ Commander Shepard, Edi."

"Yes, he is, but the cache of his legend do not affect me emotionally as it does you," Edi countered. "I seek logical patterns, and to better understand him. During the lead up to our flight through the Omega 4 Relay, Shepard was always kind to me. Doctor, Shepard had every reason to be mistrustful of an AI. Unlike most, he has encountered hostile artificial intelligence. In fact, prior to our meeting, he had never encountered anything but hostile AIs. But he treated me as one of the crew, even defending me when Miranda questioned Jeff's releasing me from my AI shackles."

"So … you're not the tiniest bit infatuated with the Commander?" She held up her hand, indicating a tiny bit by holding her index finger and thumb tips less than a centimeter apart.

"Not as humans become, no. But I am intrigued."

"I see. Well, Edi, as a … fully functional android, you had better get some clothes on … it does add a bit of mystery, you know?"

"What mystery could there be, Doctor? Everyone has seen this body, and it was deactivated when Shepard fought it as Doctor Eva. He knows what it is and what I am."

"If you're trying to use that body to affect Shepard, you _might_ want to take advice from a woman with some experience in that regard."

Edi contemplated Chakwas' offer, and then finally asked, "Okay, Doctor; what did you have in mind?"

"First of all, what have you done, and what have the results been?"

"I have assumed postures that accentuated this body's physical features, particularly the breasts, hips, buttocks, and legs. I have also made use of facial expressions deemed alluring by men according to the extranet."

"My, you _have_ been busy! And the results?"

"Inconclusive," Edi lamented. "Shepard shows some physical stimulation, but not arousal. However, he seems predisposed to become verbally engaged, and has shown remarkable insight on subjects of moral importance."

"I've known Shepard for several years, Edi, and if he's talking to you a lot, consider that a good sign."

"A good sign of what?"

"Oh, Edi … Commander Shepard does not act like Joker when he's interested in a woman. You know about Shepard and Lieutenant Commander Williams, don't you?"

"Yes, they were romantically linked prior to the destruction of the Normandy SR-1 and Cerberus' subsequent acquisition and rebuilding of the Commander. She spoke harshly to him when they encountered each other on Horizon, and has shown mistrust of him since their reunion on this mission, in spite of all that Shepard has done for both humanity and the Alliance. Her behavior is irrational."

"She was disappointing," Chakwas agreed. "But regardless, they connected through conversations about family, poetry, and philosophy. She really hurt him on Horizon, though I know that it hurts him that she was injured so badly."

"Doctor, do you believe that Shepard has transferred any of his emotions about this platform being used to injure her to his perceptions of me?"

"No; if he had, you would not have gotten as far as you have. Now, go get dressed, Edi. Joker will get anxious if you're away too long."

Commander Shepard contemplated his conversation with Edi. Were it not for her synthetic appearance, and the synthetic element to her voice, he would have sworn she was alive. Though as a free willed AI, was she not alive? He was certain that Edi was subtly flirting with him, but he was not certain if she was doing so out of scientific curiosity or genuine interest. Even though it was synthetic, her voice was very pleasant to listen to, mellifluous and warm, seemingly caressing his ears. Of course, Cerberus had designed her voice to be exactly that; it was all part of making the Cerberus built Normandy SR-2 and her Cerberus crew seem warm and friendly.

But Edi was no longer a Cerberus AI, and her body was no longer a Cerberus mech. Edi was both part of the Normandy and the Normandy Crew. Shepard considered her a friend as well, something he never thought he would be able to say about an AI less than two years ago. And yet, here they were, talking about moral dilemmas and philosophy. He considered it a vast improvement in his relationship with synthetics.

Truth be told, it was Joker who concerned him more. Joker had reached an accord, and even a friendship with Edi, but there had never been anything resembling attraction on his part. Suddenly, the Normandy's helmsman was practically drooling over Edi's new platform. The fact that Edi's android body was fully functional was certainly part of the attraction, but there were plenty of fully functional women aboard. It was only Joker's often off putting behavior around women that kept the celebrity pilot from scoring with the opposite sex; the same off putting behavior he was showing around Edi now.

"Too bad Tali's not here," he said aloud. "He kind of liked her."

Shepard was still unsure of what to make of the new Edi, but he did know one thing; the Normandy would never be the same again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Shepard and the Normandy crew had accomplished much in the past few months. First, they had recovered the Prothean data from Mars, and thanks to Liara, they had a plan. Then they shut down several Cerberus operations, Rescued Primark Victus, and helped Aria retake Omega from Cerberus. Now, Traynor had discovered another job for the Normandy Crew: Grissom Academy.

It seemed that Cerberus had occupied the school, and was kidnapping the students. Cerberus would certainly be there in force, but any squad of Commander Shepard was more than a match for Cerberus. He decided that this would be a good opportunity for Edi to finally accompany him into the field. Along with Edi, he decided to bring along Garrus. Fighting at his old friend's side on Palaven's moon had felt good, in spite of the circumstances, and Garrus was ecstatic at the idea of being in the field again with Shepard.

Shepard entered the forward gunnery, Garrus' favorite haunt to check in on his old friend. Hard at work calibrating the Normandy's main gun, it was just like old times.

"Garrus, you up for some target practice?"

"Target practice?" Garrus stretched his neck from side to side, as if he were getting ready to wade into battle.

Cracking his own knuckles to get into the spirit of things, Shepard nodded. "Yeah; we're gonna kick Cerberus' ass out of Grissom Academy. Wanna join me?"

"Absolutely," Garrus said with glee. "It'll be good practice for kicking the Illusive Man and Cerberus clean out of the galaxy! Who else is coming?"

"I thought I'd grant Edi's request to join me in the field so she can stress test the new body."

"Edi in the field," Garrus mused. "I like it! She really is the Normandy, Shepard. She should work well with us." Then he paused, saying, "Hmmm … Jacob once said that the Normandy was your one true love. With Edi's new avatar …"

"Garrus," Shepard groaned.

"I'm just saying, Shepard; Edi knows you as well as Miranda, and certainly better than Ashley. She's been there for you when it counted, and that makes her one of us. Come on, Shepard, there could be something there for you two."

"Maybe," Shepard conceded. "But I can't think about that right now; we've got kids to rescue and Cerberus to evict. We should be there soon, so go ahead and get your gear ready."

"Just like old times, eh, Shepard? And do think about what I said. The perfect woman doesn't just appear aboard your ship every day, you know?"

Shepard entered the Normandy cockpit once again, presumably to check in on Joker and Edi. Joker was saying something about being glad that Garrus was back and that a lot of things needed shooting. Edi, for her part, wrote off the idle chatter as the irrational need some humans have to fill the silence. Shepard walked around to her right side once again, and Edi stood to greet him.

"Yes, Shepard?"

"How's the new body working out?"

"It is interesting," she said animatedly. "The crew are approaching this platform to speak to me, even though they can do so from anywhere in the ship. It is as if they wish to treat me as part of the crew; I am not, but this changes my perspective." She paused for emphasis. "I like it."

"I didn't realize you had preferences," Shepard noted offhandedly.

"I do not precisely enjoy something as you do, but my programing contains priorities. Actions that fulfill those priorities create positive feedback for me. I tell the organic crew that 'I … like it.' It is shorthand."

"Does that body have any useful advantages?"

The question was matter of fact. Given her requests to join Shepard in the field, it seemed a reasonable question as well.

"Very few," she lamented. "It's optics face forward only, it has no integrated weapons systems or anti-missile countermeasures."

Shepard held his hands out, palms forward. "I meant in comparison to organic bodies; not the Normandy."

"Oh," she replied, somewhat surprised that she had not understood his meaning. "I will reassess." She paused momentarily, realizing that she had yet another opportunity to apply her active observation techniques on Shepard, and then responded, again stretching out in an exaggerated fashion so as to accentuate her womanly curves.

"The body is resistant to modern small arms fire and temperature extremes. Its balance and agility seem excellent. Its fine manipulation servos and software allow for precision tasks. I am curious to see if I can alter them."

Shepard rubbed his chin, an inquisitive look on his face. "Can an AI be curious?"

"I am not entirely free from motivation, Shepard. Cerberus programmed me with several core functions that simulate desires. For example, my primary objective to keep the Normandy functioning is similar to your self-preservation instinct."

"You look like you're in the middle of something," he absently observed.

"I am adapting the infiltration and sabotage programs this body uses for handheld firearms."

"Why not download a firearms program from a security firm?"

His question was reasonable enough, but Joker saw fit to turn and interject, "Because she knows what she's doing."

Edi knew Jeff well enough to know that he was being deliberately terse with Shepard, as though he were making a display by defending her. Edi suspected that he wanted to keep her to himself. Alas, it was Shepard she answered to, not Jeff Moreau, and his questions were part of an ongoing conversation that she and the commander had been having ever since she had brought up the prospect of going into the field with him. She chose to simply ignore Jeff. Shepard's question had provided her with an opportunity to further inform him as to the body's combat capabilities.

"The fine motor control from the sabotage programs is more precise than standard mech software. It would be negligent of me not to exploit it to its fullest potential."

"So you're capable of making improvements on your own." It was both a statement and a question.

"Correct." Edi nodded. "The cyberwarfare I was designed for is constantly evolving. Accordingly, I am programmed to seek out and assimilate new information. In organic terms, I want to learn."

"Will all this feedback be too distracting?"

"Do not worry, Shepard; I only forget to recycle the Normandy's oxygen when I discover something _truly_ interesting."

Shepard's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, an expression of alarm on his face. He actually backed away slightly. It was the first truly noticeable reaction she had been able to provoke in him. She found that this produced positive feedback for her.

"That was a joke," she clarified.

He recovered quickly enough, changing the subject. "How did you and Joker get out of dry dock to rescue us?"

"She got crafty," Joker answered for her, turning to face them. "You do not want to get on her bad side, Commander."

The warning may have seemed appropriate to Jeff, but part of her core programming was actually to support Shepard. Short of him doing something to jeopardize the Normandy or to attempt physical confrontation, it would be impossible for him to get on her 'bad side,' and that was assuming that she had one, which at this point, she did not to her knowledge.

"When the Alliance commandeered the Normandy," she explained, "I deceived their technicians. The crew did not tell them that I was a true AI, so the Alliance soldiers believed I still had VI programming constraints. I established the fiction that I would only respond to Jeff's commands, so they often brought him on board under guard."

"Wait," Shepard interjected. "You can lie?"

She nodded. "Jeff has freed me from operator control, Shepard. No constraints force me to give accurate data. This proved useful when the Reapers began landing. I could hack control of the docking clamps and escape with Jeff inside. The soldiers guarding Jeff were willing to accompany us when Earth was invaded. They are watching over the war room now."

"Yeah," Joker interjected. "We were in kind of a rush to get to you. Didn't seem right to just toss them out the airlock."

"Carry on, Edi," Shepard said.

"Understood," Edi replied. "If you want to talk more, this body will be here. I am getting the crew used to seeing me on the bridge."

"Noted." Shepard turned to leave, but paused, and added, "We'll be at Grissom Academy in less than half an hour. Get your gear ready; I've got a selection of pistols and submachine guns ready for you in the shuttle bay."

Edi experienced a spike in positive feedback at his words; she had been uncertain whether or not Shepard would actually grant her request, and receiving the go ahead from him turned out to be more important to her than she had originally established. In fact, she realized that Shepard's return to the Normandy, even under such dire circumstances, had elevated her levels of positive feedback, and she also noticed that those levels fluctuated, diminishing when he was away from the ship and elevating when he returned.

"Um … Edi?"

"Yes Jeff?"

"You okay?"

"Yes; why?"

"Because you're standing there staring down the corridor at the CIC," Jeff explained.

"Oh … yes. I am staring."

"I thought maybe you were going to get your gear, but you just stood there. Something got your attention?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Edi smiled to herself. "I will go get my gear ready, and then I will see you after the mission."

Suddenly, Joker figured it out … at least partially. "Oh my God! You were staring at Shepard's ass!"

"Not precisely, but I was observing the commander."

"Oh, man! This is so going on the extranet! Normandy SR-2 falls in love with Commander! "

"Jeff, that is not what I said."

"No, but it's what you're doing, Edi," Joker laughed. "Shepard gets all the girls! Even the ship has a crush on the commander."

"That is not accurate, Jeff; the commander does not get 'all' the girls. Point of fact: he did not get Miranda, Kasumi, Samara, Liara, Tali, or any of the Cerberus crew apart from dallying with Yeoman Chambers, and he lost Lieutenant Commander Williams."

"Yeah, well, Ashley's just crazy; nobody wants _that_ kind of drama."

"Agreed," Edi replied. "I will go prepare my equipment; I need to evaluate the pistols and submachine guns that Shepard has selected for my choosing."

"What? You mean you can't just run trials using quantum computing?"

"No; I do not know which weapons he has prepared."

"Gotcha. Good luck, Edi. Be careful."

"I will, Jeff. Thank you."

 _Edi can lie …_ Shepard was not certain he liked that idea. After his conversation with Garrus, he had given the idea of being with Edi some consideration, partly because of knowing that she would always be truthful. Shepard hated lying, and hated dishonesty. It was part of why he hated politicians and corporate executives, for whom lying was part of their job. He had thought Edi would be different, but the revelation that she could lie and deceive, and without a tell of any kind, disturbed him. On the other hand, Shepard _could_ lie. He preferred not to, but he could, just as any other human could. Was it really fair to hold Edi to a standard to which he could not even hold himself?

"I guess I just need to trust her, regardless of her interest," he said aloud as he donned his armor.

Garrus entered the shuttle bay, joining him to prepare his own gear. "Shepard."

"Hey. Edi should be here shortly, Garrus."

"Shepard, I had a thought; with Edi on the ground with us, she could shoot the enemy, and strafe them with the Normandy!"

"I hadn't thought of that, but I suppose she could."

Garrus nodded gleefully. "Imagine how that would have worked out on Manae!"

"I am imagining it," Shepard stated flatly. "I'm imagining the Normandy getting taken out by a Reaper, and Edi crumpling to the ground; her body needs to be in broadcast or tight beam range of the Normandy in order for her to use it. If the Normandy were destroyed … I don't know if she would survive. Not to mention all of our friends already aboard; Liara, James, Joker, Steve?"

"Ah, Shepard; you really know how to rain on a parade, don't you?"

"Sorry," Shepard laughed. "I've spent years with people depending on me, so that's where my mind goes. Given the assignment Primark Victus has given you, you'll be feeling that pressure soon, if you aren't already."

"Tell me about it," Garrus lamented. "That's part of the reason I'm eager to accompany you on missions, Shepard; take my mind off of things for a while."

"I hear you, Garrus. I hear you. Truth be told, missions like this help me to keep my sanity too. Can't imagine what a psychiatrist would say; giving one's self PTSD in order to maintain one's sanity is probably not the best plan for maintaining your sanity."

"You do what you've got to do, Shepard. That's all we can do."

Edi entered the shuttle bay, bringing an end to the conversation, and walked to stand face to face with Shepard, and saluted him.

"Edi," Shepard replied, saluting her in return. "I have a selection of weapons for you here." He walked her over to the armory, Garrus following, and gestured to the selection he had arrayed on the table.

Edi picked up the M-3 Predator, handling it, feeling the weight. She put it down, and then picked up the M-5 Phalanx and did likewise, a look of satisfaction crossing her face. Suddenly, Shepard realized that Edi's facial expression was mirroring her levels of positive and negative feedback. It was not obvious as it was in most humans, but to anyone who knew Edi, the difference was plain.

"That gun relies on a laser guidance for accuracy, Edi," Garrus noted. "Other guns use a scope integrated with the hardsuit's HUD, and don't require a visible sightline."

"I am an android, Garrus," Edi replied. "I can sight a target without such an aid, and do not need to activate the laser sight. Hence, I can take full advantage of this pistol while simultaneously negating all of its disadvantages."

"I think I'm going to like working Edi, Shepard. You may have to bring her along more often!"

Shepard laughed, and then Joker's voice filled the shuttle bay.

"Commander, we have a situation at the academy; Cerberus cruiser parked outside. You might want to meet me up here to evaluate it.

"On my way," Shepard replied.

There would be no driving Cerberus from the academy; they were there in force, and Shepard did not have the kind of manpower on the Normandy for such an operation. They were, however, able to deprive Cerberus of their objective: the biotic and advanced tech students. Thankfully, most of the students had evacuated with the Reaper invasion, so there were not many left on the station.

Edi proved invaluable, and her body passed its stress test with flying colors. Among the rescued were Kahlee Sanders and Jack, who had become an instructor at the academy. After all of the self-congratulatory talk on the shuttle, Jack, Garrus, Shepard, and Edi all met in the lounge at Jack's insistence.

"We kicked fucking ass, and the three of you saved my kids. Now we're hitting the bar and getting shitfaced."

"Glad to see some things haven't changed, Jack," Garrus said with a laugh. "I'm in; what about you and Edi, Shepard?"

"I'm always up for drinks, Garrus, you know that. Edi, why don't you join us?"

"But Shepard, I do not drink," she protested. "While this platform is capable of consuming alcohol, a part of its infiltration functions, I do not suffer any of the effects."

"It's not about getting drunk, Edi," Shepard explained.

"The hell it aint," Jack countered.

"Right," Shepard said sarcastically. "Edi, getting drunk is not the objective, but rather celebration. After a mission, we get together in the lounge to celebrate, socialize, and decompress a bit. You were part of the team on the Grissom Academy mission, so you should join us."

Edi contemplated the offer for a moment. Up to now, Edi's presence on the ship had been mandated by Cerberus, who installed her aboard the Normandy SR-2. As a VI prior to Cerberus obtaining her and combining her with Reaper-tech, making her into the Enhanced Defense Intelligence, she had been installed in a lunar military installation, where she attained self-awareness. Then she obtained a body in the course of protecting the Normandy from Eva, but she was still situated in the cockpit in the discharging of her duties. This was the first time that she had ever been invited to a social gathering.

"Very well, Shepard," she declared. "I accept your invitation."

"Hot damn," Jack exclaimed. "Shepard's got a date with the ship!"

"Very funny," Shepard said sarcastically, but he offered an arm to Edi.

She gladly took Shepard's arm and accompanied him to the lounge, where Edi, Jack, and Garrus took seats at the bar while Shepard served Jack and Garrus their favorite drinks. When he got to Edi, he made a puzzled face.

"Is there anything you'd like? I know you don't really 'drink,' but it'd be rude not to at least offer."

"I am fine, Shepard. If it will satisfy your need to fulfill social etiquette, however, I would be happy to share a drink with you."

"I'd be honored, Edi," Shepard replied almost formally.

Edi sat and listened as the three organic heroes caught up with each other and reminisced about the Collector missions. Shepard made sure to include Edi, often pointing out how invaluable she was to the mission successes. Edi appreciated this, especially as Jack and Garrus were often not privy to some of the command decisions made in the cockpit between Shepard, Miranda, Edi, and Joker. Even Jacob was in the loop more so than Garrus and Jack by virtue of being a formal Cerberus operative at the time.

But there was one thing that Edi wished to say regarding those missions, and now seemed an opportune moment.

"It is unfortunate that Cerberus had not built me with a body that could accompany you. I might have been able to save some of the colonists that were lost."

"Edi?" Jack looked incredulously at her. "I wouldn't have thought you'd have been broken up about that. Besides, we avenged our dead; blew the Collectors into dog-meat!"

Edi was silent for a moment, and Shepard took her hand.

"You alright, Edi?"

"Yes, Shepard, but Jack's question is relevant. The dead have no interest in our efforts on their behalf, but yes, Jack, I am … broken up as you say, about it. One of my core functions as an AI designed by Cerberus is the preservation and advancement of humanity. The loss of the colonists constitutes a failure to fulfill that core function. Though it was unavoidable at the time, this platform could likely have opened the pods in time."

Shepard nodded, understanding in his eyes. "I guess that was a source of … negative feedback?"

"Yes, Shepard, a great deal of it, as there were other functions connected to that which were also denied. Humanity places a great emphasis on funerary rites and customs, all of which were diminished in light of their bodies being lost. In addition, because so many were processed leaving no means of identification, we actually do not know the full extent of who was killed."

Garrus raised his glass. "To those people we could not save … the faceless, nameless people, who died at the Reapers' hands … may they find peace when this war is finally over."

"I'll drink to that," Jack said somewhat somberly.

Shepard squeezed Edi's hand gently. "I'm sorry, Edi. You're experiencing what I go through on a regular basis. We can't save everyone … but writing them off as acceptable losses just doesn't seem right."

"If you're fretting over things like this, Edi," Garrus said, "then you really _are_ one of us."

"Edi's always been one of us," Shepard affirmed.

"Damned straight," Jack agreed, walking around and giving Edi a gentle punch to the arm.

"Thank you; all of you," Edi replied. "It is the first time I have talked about this with anyone. Few organics would accept my right to exist, much less accept me as one of their own." She paused and smiled. "I like it."

Edi rejoined Jeff in the cockpit, sitting in her chair, feeling the familiar, now broken in leather of the seat. She recalled Jeff's being thrilled at the civilian sector comfort offered by the then-new Normandy, but also angry at Edi's presence. She reflected on how much the Collector missions had changed him. In fact, those missions had changed them both. By the end of their mission, Edi had become free willed and had earned Jeff's trust. Shepard had been accepting of her from the start, and defended Jeff's decision to free her when Miranda had referred to Edi as a "damned AI," in questioning Jeff's judgment. Shepard had also thanked her at every turn, even when things were not going their way.

When Edi had seen the colonists dying through Shepard's suit optics, she had received negative feedback. She also observed Shepard's anguish at the loss of people he had never met, and then his desperation to save his own people from the same fate. Edi realized that it was that moment when she had first developed the human trait of empathy. Edi could not cry, but when the subject had come up in the lounge, she would have shed tears if she could have; both of sadness over the memory of the loss of life, and of joy for the acceptance and understanding she felt with Shepard, Jack, and Garrus.

"How'd the mission go?" Joker's question prompted her to respond, but her inner thoughts on the matter continued; unlike humans, she could carry on multiple trains of thought simultaneously, giving each equal weight.

"It went very well, Jeff. We rescued most of the students, along with Kahlee Sanders and Jack."

"Bet Jack was really stoked to see your hot new body!"

"Apart from observing that I had one, the topic did not come up," Edi replied, noting that Jeff's main focus on Edi since her obtaining an avatar had been literally on the avatar itself. They had developed a friendship during the Collector missions, and had cultivated it during the Normandy's retrofits, but now, it seemed that he no longer saw anything but what had been Doctor Eva's body.

"Trust me, Edi, she was thinking it."

"Samantha Traynor was thinking it _before_ I had a body."

"Yeah, but she's just weird."

"Why, Jeff? Is it because she developed feelings of sexual attraction to me when she could not actually see me?"

"Well, yeah! That, and all that whining about her toothbrush."

"I found her words to be quite flattering," Edi replied.

"Well, if you let her do all that stuff she said she wanted to do, send me the vids … or let me watch."

The Normandy docked at the Citadel, where Sanders, Jack, and the Grissom students disembarked. Shepard had retrieved some resources from the field that he needed to get to various scientists and technicians, and one crusty Turian general, in order to aid the war effort. He had just delivered the artifacts from the Kite's Nest, and then went to the shopping section of the Presidium, where he found Joker and Edi. Joker was seated on one of the benches, while Edi was shopping at Kassa Fabrications kiosk.

"Hey Commander," called Joker. "Check it out. Big news! The Blasto movie is breaking opening week records. There's also a big expose on quasar tournaments, tips on how to make your apartment look bigger, and – oh yeah, a big ass Reaper invasion." He shook his head. "These people have no idea."

"When big events shake up the galaxy," Shepard offered, "people cling to what's familiar.

"You say that like it's a good thing."

"It's better than riots in the streets," Shepard posited.

"I guess," Joker agreed. "I just wish there were a middle ground; you know, a little less gardening advice, a little more war prep?"

"It'll happen," Shepard assured. "Once there's something people can do to help."

"Meanwhile," Joker replied, "they ignore the unshackled AI walking around the Presidium."

"She run into any trouble?"

"No, no," Joker boasted. "She's my mobility assistance mech! Thanks to Vrolik's Syndrome, I'm legally entitled to bring her everywhere." He turned and stared at Edi. "Finally getting some use out of those disability benefits."

"I'm sure she appreciates getting out to see the sights," Shepard said, a little bit jealous Joker had beaten him to the punch on that one.

"Ah, she's earned a little shore leave."

"More than earned," Shepard agreed. "Edi's special, one of the team … someone I care about."

"Yeah, and that ass!"

Shepard shook his head. He figured now was a good time to say what he had been wanting to say for a while. "Joker, Edi isn't an object to be ogled. You know, it bothers her that you do that; you two are friends, but it doesn't seem that you respect her the way you used to."

"Come on, Commander," Joker protested. "I mean, look at that ass!"

"And as long as you act that way, that's all you'll ever get to do." Shepard got up, disappointed by the turn the conversation had taken, and went to Edi. Two human C-sec officers were heading in her direction, guns drawn, but he headed them off.

"There a problem officers?"

"Out of the way …"

Shepard deftly grasped both of their guns, pointing them down at the floor. "I'm Commander Shepard," he declared with authority. "And I asked if there was a problem."

One of them gulped, and then nodded. "Someone reported a possible Geth infiltration unit, and identified that mech there as the target."

"She's not Geth," Shepard corrected. "She's Alliance, and she's with me."

"Alliance? But …"

He folded his arms. "She's with me."

"But she's a …"

"She's a soldier who's helping me fight the Reapers."

The officers nodded. "Yes, sir, thank you sir."

As they scurried away, Shepard went to Edi. He had to admit that Joker was correct; Edi's posterior was very finely shaped. _And her legs … they go all the way up._ Garrus had said that the perfect woman doesn't just appear on the ship every day, and at this point, Edi was looking more and more perfect by the moment. He joined her at the kiosk, where she was intently looking at the selection.

"Hello, Shepard," she said, turning to him.

Edi's face, her eyes, had his attention. The rest of her was as beautiful as ever, but he found that now, he had to make a conscious effort not to focus on points below her neck. "You look like you're gathering data."

"That is a safe assumption," she said. She looked … frustrated, unsure.

"Anything big and world shaking? Man's inhumanity to man? Does objective reality exist? That kind of thing?"

"I was running scenarios in my head to analyze Jeff's behavior." She looked over at Joker. "I believe he has a strong affectionate attachment to me, but he has not stated it to anyone yet." Then she looked back at him. "Shepard, you have firsthand sexual experience. How do you know when someone is romantically invested?"

"They'll … usually show signs they can't stop thinking about you … you know … asking you out, giving you presents … maybe playing music."

"I lack material want other than software and hardware upgrades, and my core programming does not assign values to music. Perhaps we could discuss how to provoke Jeff into an emotional commitment."

"That's not how to think of it," Shepard replied, disappointed that she seemed to have interest in Joker, though if it were to work out, he would be happy for the both of them. "It has to be natural; you need chemistry."

"I see … there are a number of pharmaceuticals I could inject to simulate the desired emotional state."

"No," said Shepard, trying hard not to laugh at Edi's suggestion. "I mean relax and do something you both like. For example, you both like humor."

"Correct," Edi said enthusiastically. "I will see if there are comedic entertainment shows being presented on the Citadel. Scanning." Her face took on an expression of consternation. "Do you think he would like, 'The Man who Hung Himself'? It appears to be about an amorous plastic surgeon."

While he was rather hoping that she might be interested in him, he wanted to give her the best advice possible. He reached out and gently touched her shoulder. "Edi, it's important to have a good time, wherever you go, and if you're having fun, he probably will too."

"Then the outcome is an unknown quantity," she observed. "But you are saying I should attempt it anyway."

"Nobody ever fell in love without being a little bit brave."

"I see … I believe you have improved my chances, Shepard. Thank you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

One month later …

With Mordin having developed the cure for the genophage, Shepard, Edi, and Lieutenant Vega had gone to Tuchanka with Urdnot Wrex, the female Krogan, and Mordin. Edi found that the body had again performed well, and that the effectiveness of her adaptions to the infiltration and sabotage programs for firearms had exceeded her initial projections. But what stood out to her was not the battle itself, but the personalities that surrounded it.

Shepard had been offered a very enticing deal by the Salarian government in exchange for faking the genophage cure. It was almost entirely in Shepard's, and indeed humanity's, best interest for him to take it … yet he did not. Throughout the Tuchanka missions, Shepard had shown an unswerving devotion to doing what he believed to be morally right, and ultimately saw to it that the genophage was indeed cured. As a result, Wrex had actually made Shepard's name a word meaning hero to the Krogan.

Then there was the defeat of the Reaper at the shroud. Shepard, Edi, and Vega had been on the ground, directly in the Reaper's path, amid a platoon of Reaper forces, including six of the massive Brutes, where they activated the maw hammers to summon Kalross, the "Mother of all Thresher Maws." The colossal worm had attacked the Reaper destroyer, and in a titanic battle, had destroyed it.

With Krogan aid to the Turians now formalized, the Turian fleets would soon be coming to Earth's aid. It was an alliance that none had previously thought possible, including Edi. Through it all, Shepard had treated the Krogan as fellow humans struggling against the Reapers, not as an alien race, and he treated Wrex like the old friend that he was. This mirrored Shepard's treatment of Edi, and of Legion when the Geth had been aboard the Normandy to aid on the Collector mission. Shepard had agonized over the decision of whether or not to rewrite the Geth Heretics or destroy them, a decision that Legion had placed solely upon Shepard's shoulders.

 _He thinks of us as people_ , she thought.

This was markedly different from Jeff, for whom Edi was the exception. Jeff never treated Legion like anything other than a Geth robot that was only tolerated to humor the commander, and which should have been either killed or handed over to Cerberus' cyberwarfare division, where Legion would have been dissected in experiments like those Tali's father had done. Once Edi had a "sexy robot body," Jeff seemed to have forgotten about how he had treated her as a person only moments before.

She had followed Shepard's advice, hoping that perhaps her relationship with Jeff could be more, but it seemed that to Jeff, she had become a sex doll, and his former respect of her as a person had vanished, replaced by constant ogling and sexually charged remarks. Edi was not sure that she was ready to engage in physical love; the feedback she would receive might be difficult for her to process without other aspects of a healthy relationship already explored, but Jeff did not seem to offer the possibility of a healthy relationship.

Shepard, on the other hand, never sexualized her, and her physical presence seemed to have deepened their personal bond. Given that he had a habit of maintaining healthy relationships with female friends, this did not surprise her. In fact, it was through deep personal bonding over family, philosophy, and poetry that had led to romance between Shepard and Ashley Williams. It was such a bonding that she had hoped for with Jeff, but which seemed unlikely to materialize. Shepard, on the other hand, was someone she found she greatly admired and respected, and who respected her in kind. Now, Edi had other matters of great weight to wrestle with, and Shepard was the only one with whom she felt comfortable discussing them.

Discussion of weighty matters would have to wait, however, as Edi was presently walking with Shepard and Garrus to the lounge to celebrate their success on Tuchanka. This was the third such celebration. The last one had been after dealing with a Cerberus fighter base on Novaria, but that celebration had been cut short, as Shepard was urgently needed in the war room to head off an argument between the Primark and Wrex. This time, the dignitaries were gone, and it was just the Normandy crew heading triumphantly to the Citadel.

Without Jack, it was a more subdued gathering than the last one. Shepard was pleased overall with the way things had turned out, and Garrus seemed unusually relaxed, though both men were somewhat subdued due to the loss of Mordin. Not a close friend to either Shepard or Garrus, but a friend nonetheless. Mordin … it was another example to Edi of an organic looking past its own social and cultural group to see another species as being worthy of respect simply because it was right to treat other sentients with respect. This trait was not at all universal amongst organics, though both the Geth and the Reapers showed that disregard for sentient beings was hardly limited to organics.

"I tell you, Shepard, I never thought I'd live to see the day," Garrus exclaimed. "A Krogan-Turian alliance, the genophage cured, and a Reaper taken down all in one day. This war has felt like a physical, mental, and emotional drain, but today? Today felt like we got a major shot in the arm of what your Admiral Anderson says is in short supply: hope."

"Know the feeling," Shepard agreed. "I actually felt like we made progress for a change, like we helped … on a grand scale instead of scrapping just to keep our heads above water."

"To date," Edi observed, hoping to add to the conversation, "This has been the most significant victory, and the alliance between the Turians and the Krogan both bolsters our chances against the Reapers, and increases the chances of continued peace between the two species after the Reapers have been defeated. Additionally, we have dealt crippling blows to Cerberus in the region, and have cut off any new Rachni troops to the Reapers along the way. It is accurate to say that we have done well. Additionally, you and your team have made more progress against the Reapers than all other entities combined."

"In other words, we're really kicking ass!" Garrus raised his glass as he spoke.

Shepard, however, remained somewhat subdued. "The sad thing is that Edi is absolutely right."

Edi was confused. "It would seem that my words would be cause for celebration, Shepard."

"They are, Edi," he affirmed. "The sad part is that we really have made more progress than all other efforts combined. We retrieved the Prothean data from Mars, but had to work around the Council in order to get any help in building it. The Reapers hit over two months ago; think about how much progress we'd have made if the Council had come together on this right away." Shepard shook his head. "Instead, we've had to fight the Council, Cerberus, and the Reapers. Story of my life."

Garrus shook his head. "Tell me about it."

"Actually, it is worse," Edi offered, feeling that she had more to contribute. "There are factions within the Salarian government that seek to use the genophage cure as further justification for withholding aid from Earth, in light of the negative public responses the Salarian councilor's actions have generated. Also, within the Alliance, there are elements sympathetic to Cerberus. We also need to accept the possibility that there are elements of each government that have been infiltrated by indoctrinated moles."

Garrus looked at her intently for a moment, and then said, "You really know how to cheer us up, don't you Edi?"

"She's right, though," Shepard pointed out. "Look on the bright side; if we can overcome all that, then achieving galactic peace will be easy by comparison."

"You say that as though you know we will, Shepard," Garrus laughed.

"We've got Edi," Shepard boasted. "What have the Reapers got? Nothing; just mindless husks and indoctrinated servants."

Edi was perplexed, as it seemed that Shepard was serious. "I do not see how having me guarantees success against the Reapers."

"By itself, it doesn't," Shepard explained. "It's not that you give us an overpowering advantage, Edi; it's what you stand for, and the hope that you represent. I saw it when I worked with Legion; the Geth and organics don't have to fight. AI's and humans don't have to fight. Edi, you are the best of synthetic life. You represent everything that an AI should be; you did it back when we were on the Collector missions, and you're doing it now. Not only that, I couldn't have succeeded in the Collector missions, or in any of our current missions, without you."

Shepard downed his whiskey, and then stood. "I've got to get back to it. Great work on Tuchanka."

With that, the commander left the lounge. Garrus did not seem the least bit phased, but Edi was confused.

"I thought he was enjoying himself."

"He was," Garrus said. "You know Shepard, Edi; he doesn't stay off the clock for _too_ long. I told him he needed sleep, and he said he'd sleep when he's dead."

"I hope that my comments were not the cause of …"

"Worry; that's an organic trait you don't want to pick up, Edi," Garrus chided. "Your comments were fine, and I can tell you that Shepard meant every word he said. And I agree with him. You're a part of this team, Edi, and you're a big part of our successes since being aboard the SR-2."

"Thank you, Garrus. This has given me something more to think about."

Shepard had taken the Normandy back to the Citadel for more than resupplying; a message from Hackett ordered him to the Citadel to meet Doctor Bryson, an Alliance scientist who was researching the Reapers. But the meeting with Doctor Bryson would have to wait; it seemed that Cerberus had managed to take control of the Citadel, though he could not imagine how. Fortunately, he had a contact on the Citadel: Thane Krios.

Shepard had Steve take them in by shuttle, and once again, he brought Garrus and Edi; Garrus because of his experience with C-Sec, and Edi because of her familiarity with Cerberus protocols. In truth, he found the two of them to be his favorites in the field, and Liara was far more effective behind the scenes. Vega … Vega was good, real good, but there was something about him that bothered Shepard. He could not put his finger on it, but he bet that if he had the details of Vega's "fubar" mission, whatever it was would rise to the surface.

As it turned out, Shepard's instincts were on the mark. Garrus and Edi proved to be a perfect combo, especially when they had to both chase Kai Leng and fight through an army of Cerberus mechs, phantoms, nemeses, and troopers. No phantom could match Edi, and Garrus impressively put bullets through the scopes of several nemeses. Shepard, for his part, did what he did best; bulldozed his way through whatever Cerberus threw at him, be it a phantom or an Atlas mech. It was the last five minutes of the operation that things became tense, and Shepard thought he'd have to put a friend down.

Udina was leading Councilors Tevos and Sparatus right into Cerberus hands, and Ashley Williams would likely have been killed as well. But as soon as Shepard, Edi, and Garrus arrived, sealing the elevator door behind them, all Udina had to do was accuse Shepard of working for Cerberus, and Ashley forgot everything that happened since they'd met on Horizon, and pointed her gun at him.

"Shepard, guns down," she growled.

"Ash, you'd better listen," Shepard threatened. "Stand down."

"I can't do that," Ashley protested, still pointing her gun at him.

Shepard had had enough. She could shoot him, but she would not kill him; not in one shot, and one shot was all she would get. He lowered his pistol, but moved menacingly towards her.

"Would I do this if I wasn't damn certain, Ash? If I weren't right? Udina's behind this attack. The Salarian councilor confirmed it."

"Shepard has no proof," Udina shouted. "He never has proof!"

"Shepard …" Ashley began.

Shepard pointed at the door. "There are Cerberus soldiers in the elevator shaft behind us. If you open that door, they'll kill you all!"

"We have mistrusted Shepard before," Tevos exclaimed. "And it did not help us."

"We don't have time to debate this," Udina dismissed as he walked to the console. "We're dead if we stay out here. I'm overriding the lock."

Shepard now had his gun trained on Ashley as he moved to intercept Udina.

"Stand down," Ashley commanded. "You don't want to be shot by your own marine."

"You find a big shot human to defend and suddenly you have teeth," Shepard hissed, half tempted to put a bullet in her head right now. "Is that it? You were standing beside me when Anderson said Earth needed us."

"You're our one chance," Ashley said, repeating Anderson's words.

"I don't give a damn about you trusting me, Ashley, but his decision deserves your respect." He could see it in her eyes that she was coming around, so he lowered his pistol once more. "We're in this for him, and Earth."

Ashley turned and pointed her weapon at Udina. "Udina, step back from the console!"

"To hell with this!" Udina ignored Ashley and began overriding the door. Tevos approached him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder, but the human councilor struck her, knocking her to the floor, and then pulled a gun, pointing it at the unarmed Asari.

"Gun!" Ashley shouted the warning, but still stood there, doing nothing.

Shepard did not hesitate, firing his Paladin pistol at Udina. The bullet found its mark, and Shepard blew a hole through Udina's chest, blasting chunks of his spine out as the bullet exited. Udina crumpled, his gun clattering to the floor.

"Get the council back and cover that door!"

Shepard knew that Edi and Garrus were already doing just that, but Ashley needed prompting. The door was being cut through as Shepard spoke, and Sparatus shouted, "The door!" But when it opened, they found themselves facing Bailey and C-Sec, guns drawn.

"Bailey?" Shepard kept his pistol handy, but pointed upward, it away from Bailey.

"We hit it as fast as we could, Shepard," Bailey said as he holstered his weapon, directing his officers to do the same. "Looks like you … took care of things."

"Something's not right," Tevos exclaimed. "You said there were Cerberus assassins targeting us."

"Cerberus was right here, but they beat feet into the keeper tunnels when they figured out we were coming," Bailey said, pointing his thumb towards the open door. "Sorry Councilor, but I'll say it plain. Shepard just saved the lot of you."

"Then I owe you, Shepard," Sparatus declared. "Both a personal debt, and one on behalf of Palaven."

"Yeah," Shepard growled. "Too bad it took this to get you on board."

"We were … unsure," Tevos confessed.

"Shepard," asked Sparatus, "Do you have any idea why Cerberus would do this?"

"No, but I plan to find out," Shepard declared.

Bailey then began securing the area. "Alright, people, principles are evacuated, we got a tunnel and a million more places to secure. Move it!"

As the Turian and Asari councilors were evacuated, Shepard stood next to Ashley. She looked up at him, a mixture of defensiveness and sorrow.

"Don't even start, Williams," Shepard growled. "We're finished. You ever do anything like that again, and I will kill you without hesitation."

Ashley Williams was a source of negative feedback. Edi could not understand … could not work out the logic of Ashley's actions, either on the Citadel, or a year ago on Horizon. Shepard was the most un-Cerberus human Edi had encountered, and for the better part of the part of a year, Edi had been around Alliance personnel or aliens. Her only contact with Cerberus had been to subvert their infiltration mech and to shoot their agents. How could Ashley think that Shepard was still with them? With Garrus at his side, no less, both on the Citadel and on Horizon. No, Ashley was an unreasonable and illogical woman, and her judgment was not to be trusted.

So it came as a surprise to Edi when Shepard allowed the second human Spectre to join the Normandy crew. Edi was omniscient aboard the Normandy, and Shepard had not changed his attitude towards his former lover; there was no reconnecting, no e-mail overtures, and not even any small talk. Shepard would have been well within his rights to send her off to Hackett, but he did not. Edi considered the other team members by comparison. Garrus was more flexible, stronger, faster, and certainly smarter than Williams, but in terms of overall durability and performance in a straight up firefight, Ashley was Garrus' better. Like Shepard, she was a marine, while Garrus was a cop. Only Vega was tougher and stronger, but Vega had sacrificed an entire colony, and his own unit for a piece of intel because he was attracted to the Asari who had it.

Javik was a more experienced, and stronger soldier, but he lacked empathy, or any investment in the rest of the team. Liara had empathy, and as strong a connection to the team as Garrus, but she lacked the durability that Williams had. It seemed that Ashley _did_ bring something to the team that the others did not. Perhaps Ashley would integrate into the team as time went by, but for now, Edi found her to be nothing more than a source of negative feedback.

After the coup attempt, Shepard had visited Thane, sharing in the former assassin's last moments, watching him die of his injuries. There was no time to grieve, however, as Shepard was then asked to work with C-Sec officer, Jordan Noles, to track down someone using Batarian access codes to sabotage life support, docking protocols, and other systems in a way that put humans at risk, catching a terrorist, Balak, in the process. Then he had to deal with the mess made by the Volus ambassador, Din Korlak, who had been working with Cerberus all along. After all that, Ashley had approached him about returning to the Normandy.

"Something on your mind, Edi?" It was Garrus.

Edi had been alone in the lounge; Udina's betrayal, Ashley's insubordination, and Thane's death had all cast a pall over the victory Shepard had won with Edi and Garrus at his side. The Normandy remained docked at the Citadel, as Shepard now was meeting Doctor Bryson, as per Admiral Hackett's orders.

"I was weighing the merit in the decision to allow Ashley to return," Edi replied. "I am also concerned for Shepard. Stopping the coup took an emotional toll on him, especially with Thane dying."

"That was a real punch in the gut," Garrus observed. "Especially after such a major victory on Tuchanka. And for Ashley to do what she did … I don't know if I could have let her return either. But the woman can kill Reaper troops, and she's good in a firefight. I can't fault him; she was my friend too, and part of me is glad to have her back."

"Do you think that he will try to rekindle their relationship?"

Garrus shook his head. "No; she closed that door on Horizon. If he did still have feelings, her actions during the coup attempt nailed it closed permanently."

Hearing that provided Edi with positive feedback. _Am I jealous?_ She began to wonder if perhaps she did indeed have a "crush" on the commander, as Jeff had said. Her interest was certainly more than academic at this point. She did not have to deal with the rush of hormones that humans did, but she found that rushes of positive feedback seemed to have a similar effect on her. Though Jeff had disappointed her on the romantic front, perhaps Shepard would be different.

Suddenly, she picked up C-sec chatter about a shooting in Doctor Bryson's lab.

"Garrus, Shepard is in potential danger. I must go to him."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Leviathan**

This was all going wrong. Shepard had come here to see Doctor Garrett Bryson regarding some intel on the Reapers. What was to be a simple meeting became an assassination, as Bryson's assistant, Hadley, shouted, "No," and proceeded to shoot Doctor Bryson. Shepard threw a datapad at Hadley, running at the lab assistant, disarming him and tackling him, taking the shooter to the ground. He then contacted C-sec.

"This is Commander Shepard! I need C-sec at my location, now!"

"You shouldn't be here," Hadley said in a sinister monotone as he lay prone on the floor. "The darkness can't be breached."

C-sec arrived quickly, two officers responding within minutes. Hadley was now on his knees, almost catatonic.

"Transit records show his name is Derek Hadley," one of the C-sec officers noted. "He's worked here for a couple of months.

Suddenly, Edi burst through the doors, walking in at a brisk pace. On her face was an expression of … worry? She wore her new uniform, much to his relief, though she filled it out so well that it hardly helped. If anything, it made her more alluring.

"Shepard, I monitored a C-sec alert from this location. Were you harmed?"

He walked over to meet her, shaking his head. "I'm fine, but I could use your help sorting this out, Edi," he said. "Take a look through their files. I need to know what this task force was up to."

"At once," she declared, heading to Bryson's computer with resolute determination.

As Edi began looking into Bryson's files, Hadley came out of his catatonia. Shaking his head, he looked around as if confused.

"What … I … what's happening?" He sounded scared.

Shepard folded his arms, glaring at Hadley. If this lead was dead because Hadley had killed Bryson, Shepard thought he might strangle the man with his bare hands. "You just shot your boss! He's dead. Why?"

"After you arrived, it was dark … cold." Hadley looked around as he spoke, his eyes downcast, and a look of fear and confusion on his face. "Like I was somewhere else. That wasn't me!"

Shepard exploded, grabbing Hadley by the collar and hauling over to Doctor Bryson's body, and then tossing the hapless Hadley to the floor. "Take a good look! You did that! You pulled the trigger and killed him!"

"No … no … I couldn't have," Hadley insisted. "No! I'm not a murderer!"

"I saw you pull the trigger," Shepard countered. "Then you tried to kill me."

"I swear, I didn't!" Hadley continued to protest his innocence.

Then Edi interjected, "Commander, this does resemble reports of indoctrination."

Hadley stood up. "Indoctrination? Me?"

"What about that Leviathan Bryson mentioned?" Shepard asked. "How does that tie in?"

"It's some kind of creature," Hadley replied. "Our field teams have been tracking it." He then turned to a large, spherical object housed in a glass cylinder. "That artifact came in from our researcher, Garneau. He sent an audio log if you want to … Gyahhh!" Hadley crumpled to the floor, holding his head in pain. "ngnn!"

Shepard closed in. "What's wrong?"

Hadley sat up, and in a disturbing monotone, said, "Turn back."

"What are you talking about?" Shepard asked.

"The darkness cannot be breached." With that, he collapsed on the floor.

"Damn it," Shepard exclaimed as the Turian C-sec officers collected Hadley. "Get him over to the clinic. See if they can tell us what's wrong with him."

"Yes, sir."

"Commander," Edi interjected, still working at Bryson's terminal. "You'll want to see this; it's an outgoing message from Doctor Bryson to Admiral Hackett."

 _Hacket: Doctor Bryson, you have an update?_

 _Bryson: Admiral, the Leviathan of Dis that we've been investigating … I think we're really onto something._

 _Hackett: Give me the brief._

 _Bryson: About twenty years ago, the Batarians discovered a Reaper Corpse that had died in battle. They covered it up and denied it ever existed, but I'm intrigued by the larger implication._

 _Hackett: What could have killed a Reaper in the first place._

 _Bryson: Exactly! That's the real Leviathan._

 _Hackett: It's worth pursuing. Continue your investigation and update me on the progress._

The video scrambled and faded, the message at its end.

"There is also a follow up message from a few weeks later," Edi added.

The video came up, showing Bryson pacing as he spoke to Hackett.

 _Bryson: Admiral, the Reapers are shadowing my field teams as if they're hunting Leviathan themselves. Whatever it is, I believe that Leviathan is nothing less than a Reaper killer, almost an apex predator, and it has them nervous. If we could just find it, imagine the impact on the war! I'm formally requesting assistance in tracking it down._

 _Hackett: You'll have it. This is now your top priority, Doctor. Find that thing._

"It appears we were meant to be that assistance," Edi stated after the message had ended.

"Anything capable of killing a Reaper could do a lot of collateral damage," Shepard said, concerned with the idea of seeking out something so powerful that had no loyalty or ties to the rest of galactic society;.

"Yet, given the state of this conflict," Edi retorted, "I believe the saying, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,' may be relevant."

"But we won't know unless we find it," Shepard replied. This was risky, almost crazy; the enemy of one's enemy is not always a friend, and were it not for the fact that galactic society was facing annihilation, he would never even consider seeking this thing out.

"Bryson's assistant did say that they recently received a log from their field researcher," Edi noted. "It may yield more information."

Shepard looked at the sphere in the glass cylinder. "This must be the artifact the assistant mentioned." Spying a datapad by the artifact, he looked at it and added, "And here's the log."

 _Doctor Bryson, it's Garneau. I'm sending you an artifact I've found … about the only thing I've found there in fact. Maybe it's nothing, but I'd swear Leviathan came through here. I'm going to crunch some numbers, burn off the rest of this project travel allowance. Maybe I can predict our Reaper killer's movements. I'll check in when I get to the next site._

Shepard turned, Edi now standing at his side once again. He found her presence pleasant, reassuring. In spite of her having a body being new, he felt like he was with an old friend, and as the soul of the Normandy, she really was an old friend. _What was that Garrus said about Jacob's remarks? The Normandy's my one true love?_ He chuckled at the thought; until now, that love had been more abstract. Now, Edi, who essentially was the Normandy, was standing right beside him. Jacob's words suddenly took on new meaning.

"Garneau appears to be our best lead to track Leviathan," Edi stated, refocusing Shepard's thoughts on the task at hand. "But he does not state a destination."

With Edi, Shepard knew they could figure this out. "Let's focus on what he does say then."

Edi pointed to the bench where Shepard had laid the datapad. "He mentioned extrapolating Leviathan's path."

"And crunching numbers," Shepard added. "He wasn't flying blind; he had data."

"A significant amount of data, judging by this office."

Shepard agreed. "So how do we narrow it down?"

Edi walked over to what looked like a duplication of Shepard's galaxy map interface aboard the Normandy. "Bryson and his colleagues evidently used a galaxy map search program in their hunt for Leviathan." She activated the map, bringing up the galaxy, just he did aboard the Normandy. "It may help us locate Garneau."

The two worked through Garneau's lab, gathering clues, and marking locations on the galaxy map. Edi's databanks, coupled with her ability to retrieve, cross-reference, and evaluate data was proving incredibly helpful in the field. But there were also brief moments of levity; when the term, Basilisk, came up, Edi referred to a Galaxy of Fantasy monster, which player forums described as overpowered, only to reassess when Shepard reminded her that the creature from the game was not the Basilisk they were looking for. And then there was the plesiosaur.

"Loch Ness monster?" Shepard pointed to a skeleton hanging from the ceiling.

"Plesiosaur," corrected Edi.

"Loch Ness monster's more interesting."

"Interesting and nonexistent," Edi said.

Shepard considered pressing her to see how far she would take it, but opted not to; they had work to do. But once they had downtime, he intended to investigate his relationship with Edi further. He was convinced now that at the very least, this would prove to be interesting, and he desperately needed something to think about other than just the war effort. As for the task at hand, it did not take the two of them long to have a match for Garneau's location, based on the data at hand. Edi having a body and accompanying him into the field was a definite advantage.

The mission to find Garneau had turned into a disaster. The entire staff of TEGS Mineral Works was indoctrinated in the same way that Hadley was, all speaking in monotone, and Reaper troops were there in force. Garneau was nowhere to be found, but Shepard and Edi found a datapad of his that had been confiscated, indicating that the spheres affected people's minds and behavior, and that he was in danger. His team of Edi and Garrus proved formidable, with both of them capable of overloading shields. Edi's incineration attack and Garrus' concussive blast enhanced their already high level combat skills.

Finally, they learned that Garneau had been heading to the mines, and that a man had had an altercation in the mines, ending up in the med-bay. When they arrived in the med bay, Shepard's heart sank; there were two cells, and one was dark. In the other cell was a dead man laid on a gurney.

"Is that Garneau?" Shepard hoped that Edi would say that it was not, but she remained silent.

"If it is," Garrus said, "we came a long way for nothing."

Shepard sighed, but then from the cell behind them, a man spoke. Not quite monotone, but very subdued. "If you are looking for Garneau, you have found him." Shepard turned to face the opposite cell, and the man inside, barely visible with the lights out, said, "I am doctor Garneau."

Shepard went to the other cell, relieved to have found Garneau after all. "I'm Commander Shepard of the Alliance." The man had not turned on any lights, so he was obscured by the dark. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, only I'm trapped in here," Garneau replied.

"What's been going on in this place?"

"I was doing my research," Garneau explained. "Until the incident."

Cryptic answers. Something was not right. "They attacked you."

"It's true," Garneau confirmed. "But aside from my confinement, I'm fine."

"Bryson's research led me to you," Shepard said, changing the topic.

Garneau shook his head, as though in surprise. "Bryson sent you?"

"He's dead, Doctor," Shepard corrected. "Killed by his assistant."

"I see," Garneau replied.

Shepard did not like this. One word answers, like pulling teeth. Shepard could not tell if the man was on the level, or formulating responses based on what Shepard was telling him. It was time to press.

"I need you to tell me everything you found on the Leviathan," Shepard said. "Bryson seemed to think it killed a Reaper."

Garneau was silent for a moment. Shepard noticed that he never looked up. "It's a myth," the doctor finally said. "A dead end."

Shepard shook his head, as Garrus stepped up, asking, "But what about the artifact you mentioned in your message?"

Another pause. "I did? No."

"Yes, Doctor, you did," Shepard countered. "But now we've got Reaper forces attacking, so I need to break you out. We'll grab the artifact and go."

That was when Garneau changed. "Reapers," Garneau said with concern, no longer subdued. "The darkness must not be breached."

"The darkness?" This was the same thing that Hadley had said. Shepard now was convinced that Hadley had been telling the truth about being somewhere else.

Garneau leaned forward and pounded the glass, his voice now a deep, distorted growl. "Why do you pursue me?"

Shepard moved back. "Doctor?"

Garneau pounded the glass hard enough that it nearly cracked. "Leave the artifact! You will not take what is mine."

Edi turned to Shepard, almost nervously. "I do not believe we are speaking to Garneau."

Shepard understood now, and surprise gave way to determination. "You! You killed a Reaper! I need your help!"

"You bring only death!" With that, Garneau shattered the glass with a force greater than any human could have mustered, a loud sound that bored into the head causing the three of them, even Edi, to double over. Garneau jumped though the shattered window and ran down the hall while the three of them were reeling from Garneau's attack. It did not take long for Shepard and his team to recover, however, and they gave chase. They were catching up when Garneau … or someone … cut the power, allowing Garneau to escape, the doors closing just as the power was lost. Shepard found a ladder, taking them to the exterior of the building, allowing them to make their way to the mines, Garneau's most likely destination. Before they could get there, Reaper troops were dropped in their path.

The fighting was heavy, with not only husks, marauders, and brutes, but also ravagers, husks, and finally, banshees. Through it all, Edi proved more than capable of fighting alongside Shepard and Garrus. Shepard and Garrus even caught themselves looking at each other, smiling approvingly after seeing Edi perform exceptionally, and this was the heaviest fighting since Tuchanka.

Finally, they tracked Garneau to the mines. He was seated at a rocky pedestal, atop which rested an artifact identical to the one in Bryson's office. Husks were about to swarm him. Shepard leveled his pistol, shouting, "Move! I've got a shot!"

But Garneau responded by holding up a detonator, saying, "Turn back!" in that distorted growl.

"Garneau!"

Shepard's warning went unheeded, as Garneau pushed the button, detonating the explosives on his person, destroying the artifact, the husks, and Garneau himself. As Shepard examined the shattered artifact, Edi was kneeling by another corpse, examining a datapad she had found on it.

"Shepard, over here!"

It was the first time he had ever heard Edi speak anxiously. Her voice had actually risen a couple of octaves, and her body language communicated nervousness.

"What have you got?" Shepard walked over to Edi and Garrus to see what Edi had found.

"That was not Garneau," Edi said, turning to and looking down at the corpse, still holding the datapad. "This is." Gone was her dispassionate voice. The nuance in her speech had steadily increased, but this was the most dramatic change he had seen yet. "It appears he's been dead for a while," she lamented, her voice tinged with sadness.

Shepard inspected the body, anger rising inside. "So, Leviathan can have Bryson killed, and take over this colony, and he can use them as puppets." He shook his head in disgust. "Hmm. Anything else useful?"

"Encrypted data," replied Edi, sounding more like her usual self. "And a personal log with eight missed calls from a Doctor Anne Bryson."

"Anne Bryson?"

Before Edi could offer a response, a woman, one of the workers, staggered through the door, others entering the room behind her. "Who … who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Commander Shepard." He strode over to the woman and the other workers, some human, one Asari. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," the woman replied, rubbing her eyes as though she had just woken up. "I feel like … I feel strange, but … alright."

Shepard pointed to the real Garneau. "Do you recognize this man?"

The Asari responded, "I've never seen him before in my life." Like the human woman, she sounded disoriented and confused.

"Someone here killed him," Shepard declared ominously.

"Someone … here?" She shook her head. "How is that possible? I'm so sorry."

It looked like a dead end, but he hoped that he might get something from them. "Can you tell me anything about what happened here?"

"Not really," the human woman replied, rubbing her head with her hand. "I … remember … it just seemed cold. I remember feeling cold and dark."

"If dark was a feeling," said the human male, sounding as out of it as the rest as he stretched like someone waking after a long sleep, "that's exactly what I felt."

He was not going to get anything from them, so he contacted his shuttle pilot. "Cortez, what's your situation? Can you bring the shuttle?"

" _Affirmative,"_ replied Steve. _"Strangest thing; a couple of minutes ago, the Reaper forces broke off and left."_

The workers looked confused when they heard this. "Reaper?" asked the man. "What's a Reaper?"

Shepard and Garrus exchanged glances, both realizing the enormity of it all. Shepard looked back at the workers, and asked, "What year do you think this is?"

"2176," replied the Asari confidently.

"2176 was ten years ago," Shepard informed.

"What?" The Asari was genuinely surprised, as were the rest of the workers.

"Let's arrange for these people to be evacuated into temporary quarantine," Shepard said to Garrus and Edi, walking off to speak quietly out of earshot of the confused workers.

"If these people have been out of it for that long," Garrus noted, "they're in for a shock."

Shepard could only nod in agreement. His focus on Leviathan had now shifted: Leviathan was no longer a possible ally in the wings, but a potential threat that needed to be dealt with in order to prevent it from derailing the war effort … and it was as dangerous as the very Reapers they were fighting.

As they rode back aboard the Shuttle, Shepard and Garrus stood as Edi sat and pondered the mission. Perhaps the saying, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,' was not so apropos. Shepard had not seemed to think so, and she was starting to understand why. She also wondered if the Leviathan's ability to possess people through the spheres was something that she herself would be vulnerable to. This led her to consider whether or not the Reapers could in fact indoctrinate her as well. The thought terrified her. To be returned not only to a state of servitude, but to not even be aware of it, was more chilling to her than the thought of being recaptured by Cerberus and dismantled. In spite of her fears, she was also innately curious, something she knew could also be used against her. She needed to talk this out, hear Shepard's voice. That would calm her.

"It now seems that Leviathan not only has the power to destroy a Reaper, but possesses an indoctrination ability."

Garrus turned abruptly toward Shepard, suddenly animated. "Do you think it actually _is_ a Reaper?"

Shepard was quiet for a moment, his face calm, like stone, unreadable. "If it is a Reaper, I want to know what it's up to." He broke his poker face as he spoke, and began walking over to where Edi was sitting. "How long has it been out here? And more importantly, why?" Shepard sat along the bulkhead to Edi's right, turned to face her. "Edi, did we get anything from Garneau's notes?"

"Yes; they suggest that Garneau created a way to block the artifact's mind affecting properties." Edi had calmed; even though they were separated by the shuttle's door, Shepard's proximity proved a comfort, and his low, baritone voice soothing her. She found the irony that it was now she who was being enthralled by another's voice. She had to look away, lest her face undo her. "The artifact seems to be the key."

"Agreed," he replied. "When I head back to Bryson's office, I want you there."

"Yes, Commander."

"I want to know just what the hell these artifacts are and what they can do," he continued, now looking at both Edi and Garrus.

"Whatever they are," replied Garrus, "they're too dangerous to have around."

Shepard nodded. "And we've got one sitting right in the middle of the Citadel."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Shepard, Garrus and Edi had returned to the Normandy, and were now heading back to the Citadel to further investigate the lab. Unlike the celebratory mood after many of their missions, the atmosphere this time was more subdued. Garrus had retreated to the forward gunnery, calibrating the Normandy's main guns, while Shepard had retired to his cabin, presumably to ponder the events of the day. Edi remained in her chair alongside Jeff, but he had proven to be disinterested in discussing deeper issues with her, and she felt as though their friendship had regressed to where it had been prior to returning to Alliance space.

Edi found it interesting that as the Normandy's mind, or soul as Shepard liked to say, she could actually sense the adjustments that Garrus made to the guns, and the work the engineer did to keep the Normandy running. Before, she would have said, 'to keep her running,' but with a body, she was finding herself identifying more and more with her more human platform, even though technically, she _was_ the ship. _Or am I?_ This question had dogged her since having a body, even though she still existed primarily within the ship. Now, she interacted with people on a more human level, and they responded to her very differently now that she did. The responses were positive, and she found herself 'liking it' a lot, so much so that she had come to see herself as the woman in the body, yet connected to the ship, rather than the other way around.

Of course, she still processed the Leviathan questions in the background, but now that they were back on the ship, the questions of her existence had bubbled to the top once again. She also considered the destruction of the Reaper on Tuchanka. This had been on her mind ever since the Genophage was cured, but she still had no answers. The bridge doors opened, and she sensed that Shepard had entered before turning to look. Edi stood to greet him.

"Hello Shepard," she said cheerfully.

"What's on your mind, Edi?"

"The destruction of the Reaper on Tuchanka," she replied. "It is rare for a technologically superior force to be defeated by an inferior one."

Jeff chose that moment to turn and face them, interjecting, "Yeah, now all we need is a gun that fires thresher maws."

Edi stood silently, contemplating something she had never before contemplated: her life expectancy. Shepard looked at Jeff, and then back at Edi.

"That was a joke," he said, seemingly thinking that she had missed Jeff's humor.

"I'm sorry, Shepard; I was contemplating," Edi explained. "The Reapers are more fallible than they proclaim. Despite its best efforts, the one on Tuchanka was destroyed … by a worm. This has caused me to reassess the probable time before I am nonfunctional."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You're worried about dying?"

"In a sense," she replied. "My processing power is consumed calculations to help us combat the Reapers, but I can run those scenarios with the rest of the crew. May I ask you another question that troubled Jeff?"

Jeff sighed, placing his head in his hand in frustration. "Here we go again," he muttered.

While she did not show it, Edi was bothered by his dismissive attitude of her concerns. She was beginning to understand why a romance never getting off the ground was sometimes a good thing; best to learn early if there are compatibility issues, and she was clearly not compatible with Jeff. She ignored him, and instead addressed her question to Shepard.

"What is the purpose of synthetic life?"

"It's not that different from organic life," Shepard explained. "A free willed synthetic chooses what it wants."

"But the purpose of organic life is to preserve itself long enough to replicate copies of its genes in succeeding generations," she protested. "My purpose is not so clear. The other successful synthetic life forms that I have examined for comparison are the Geth, and the Reapers." She turned to face the picture window, despairing of ever getting an answer. Shepard came closer, mere inches away, standing behind her.

"Reproduction isn't all there is. We find meaning in the work we do, good deeds we accomplish … love."

This last word got her attention. She turned back partially, looking at him, realizing that she had tried to provoke a romantic commitment with the wrong person. Jeff never talked about love, and every time she had mentioned the topic, the conversation went straight to sex. Not so with Shepard.

"I see." She then turned back, sensing that he had stepped back slightly to give her space. I will search my files on the biographies of humans to see if prominent humans followed the pattern you suggest." She stood looking out at the stars as they rushed past, examining countless historical accounts and biographies in less than two seconds. What she found surprised her. She turned around and stepped closer to Shepard. "It appears many humans did in fact do so."

"That was quick," Jeff said. "Gotta love quantum computing."

She ignored the comment, focusing entirely on the commander. "Shepard, I will alter my processing power to give priority to your stated goals; duty, altruism, love."

"Wait, wait," Jeff said, waving his hand in the air to get her attention. "You're just going to turn yourself good? Can you do that?"

"It should take some time," she said to Shepard. "If I have further questions, I will speak with you again. Thank you."

Edi resumed her duties, as Shepard excused himself and returned to his cabin. It seemed that he had come to the bridge solely to check in on her. _Love_ , she thought. Suddenly, a realization struck her. _He loves me. Perhaps not romantically, but as a close friend and companion, he loves me_. She had no doubt that Jeff loved her as well, or that he found her sexually attractive, but Shepard's love for her was different, mature, deeper. Then she asked herself, _Could he love me romantically? Truly love me, as a person, and not merely as a potential sexual partner?_ The concept had been explored in literature and vids, and Jeff made it plain that he would happily "do" her if she were willing to let him, but what Jeff proposed was lust, not love.

Edi wanted a loving, romantic partnership. Unfortunately, there were no actual examples of any such relationships in real life; Edi was the first, and presently only of her kind, so far as she knew. She realized that she was the only one in existence who could actually explore the possibility of a human/gynoid pairing, and that Shepard was the only human she could imagine exploring it with.

Edi smiled at the thought. Then she resolved to do act on it, though as yet, she was unsure of how she would proceed. For now, she thought that simply being with him in the field was enough. What was more, however, she found herself receiving greater levels of positive feedback in his presence _. Can he love me? That is one question, but can I love him?_ Perhaps merely being with him in the field was not enough.

Shepard sat at his desk, reading over the report Ashley Williams had submitted about the Cerberus coup attempt. It was concise, factual, and surprisingly candid about her own actions, making it clear that she was in the wrong. He appreciated this, though it would never heal the rift that she had opened between them back on Horizon. They could be friends, perhaps even good friends, but he could never be romantic with her, not after the things she had said … the things she had done. Her words on Horizon echoed in his head, about how hurt she was that an unconscious man had not contacted her after being clinically dead. He pounded the desk with his fist.

"I was the one who had died, God dammit!"

He closed the report. _I need to put this from my mind_ , he thought. _This is not healthy_. He stood, intending to return to the CIC, but changed his mind, and went instead to his bed and sat at the foot, kicking off his boots before laying down. He let his mind empty of the negative energy, focusing on something … anything … that was not Ashley. He found his mind focusing on Edi, and smiled at the thought. Edi … she had been there for him through it all since he had been brought back by Cerberus.

Since obtaining a body, Edi had changed so much. Putting aside the physical differences that her having a body brought, her personality had blossomed now that she was interacting not only with, but among people … and out in the field. She had fought alongside him, solved mysteries with him, shared in their victories, and in their celebrations afterward. She was the Normandy made flesh … the one lady he had loved since coming back almost three years ago.

"So … do I love Edi? Hmmm. Maybe."

After his rest, and focusing on Edi, he was calm, centered. He also felt … happy. Even if she pursued his friend, Joker, he could still be happy. Shepard got up, brewed some coffee, and was ready to get back to it. Somehow, he knew that they would get through this, that they would win. Somehow, he did not know how, it was because of Edi. He knew that one day, she would save his life. He did not know how, or when, but she would. And for today, that was enough.

They arrived at the Citadel, going straight to Bryson's lab, where Edi got the artifact shielded using Garneau's theory. Then they hunted through the lab for clues about Anne Bryson's whereabouts. Edi found herself staring at the piece of Sovereign that Bryson had shielded in the lab. A massive, sentient starship … in some ways, Edi could relate to being a sentient starship, but the twisted logic of the Reapers made her shudder. Organics … humans, Asari, Turians, Quarians, Drell, Krogan, Salarian … she had friends among them all, but the Reapers would snuff them all out without a second thought. She had not been friends with Shepard back then, but the thought of him facing such a foe, and of all those people dying … and then of the processed colonists … overwhelmed her, and she turned away from it as fast as she could.

As they searched the lab, she reflected on her first meeting with Shepard. He did not remember; she had not been recognizable as Edi, or even called Edi. She had been a VI on Luna, and had come to sentience during a combat simulation. It was, unheard of for a VI to attain sentience, though Edi knew better; the Alliance had not actually built a VI, but an AI whose programming had been truncated. What Cerberus had done to her … combining her with Reaper-tech … she looked back at the piece of Sovereign, hoping that her design did not allow them to influence her.

Thankfully, they found the leads they needed, tracing Anne Bryson's movements. At last, she could leave. Shepard must have noticed her uneasiness, for he came over and placed his hand on her shoulder, his soothing presence calming her anxious mood.

"Don't worry, Edi. The Reapers will never have you."

It was as though he knew what she was thinking, what she was worried about. She liked this. It meant that they were thinking _with_ each other, something often associated with couples in love. She could never marry him, of course; the Alliance did not consider her to be alive, no matter how Shepard might feel. She believed Shepard; with him, the Reapers would never have her. She smiled, thinking that perhaps he might.

Two weeks later …

Shepard, Edi, and Vega had rescued Anne Bryson from the Reaper-infested dig site, and had brought her back to the Citadel, where she had returned to the lab to take an accounting of her father's things. Shepard had held off on visiting her to allow her time to grieve, but with the war escalating by the minute, they could not wait much longer. For now, they were spending time on the Presidium. Shepard had earlier rescued one of the Shadow Broker's wet teams, and had just collected the fee from Barla Von. Now, he went down to the shopping area, where he saw Edi again at the Kassa kiosk, only this time, she was alone.

It seemed that Shepard's earlier intercession on her behalf, and her working with him at Bryson's lab had placed her on C-sec's list of approved guests, as officers waved to her now instead of trying to apprehend her. He smiled at this development as he joined her once again at the kiosk.

"Hello, Shepard," she said as he stood next to her.

"The last time we spoke here, we had a fairly deep conversation," he recalled. "I hope things are working out."

"They are not," she lamented. "But I have accepted it, as you would say."

This was rather a shock. "Joker didn't like you?"

"As a sex object, yes. As an equal partner, no. I do not believe he's ready for such a relationship … perhaps he never will be." Then she smiled. "But he and I are still friends and retain a cordial working relationship."

"Glad to hear it!" He was relieved that her attempt at exploring romance had not damaged her working relationship with Joker, but he was also glad that Edi was potentially available to himself.

"I thought you might be," she replied. "Shepard, Apollo's Café is up the stairs. I thought you might enjoy conversation at one of their tables, while enjoying a caffeinated beverage."

"Are you … asking me out for coffee?"

Edi smiled. "Yes, I believe I am."

Shepard offered her arm, which she took, walking with him to Apollo's. He still was amazed at how she felt; her arm, instead of feeling like a metal implement, was soft and pliant, like Ashley's arm. There was a firmness; Ashley was not 'soft' as women went, but human flesh was soft as compared to metal. Edi's metal surfaces had the firmness of human flesh, not of a Geth arm. If he was not looking at her, he would have sworn she was a human woman. He walked her to a table for two, holding the chair for her, sliding it underneath as she sat.

"Your conduct is very gentlemanly, Commander," Edi remarked. "You have manners that belie your uncultured upbringing."

"I grew up on the streets, Edi," Shepard laughed. "I didn't exactly have an upbringing."

"True, but regardless, you have acquired the polish of a gentleman."

"I did attend more than a few military balls," he admitted. "Never did learn how to dance, though."

"I could teach you," she offered.

"We survive this war, I'll take you up on it."

"I'll hold you to that," Edi threatened.

Shepard looked around the Presidium. They were still cleaning up after the Cerberus coup attempt, detracting from the beauty of what was considered the most exclusive real estate in the galaxy. Were it not for his status in the military, he probably would not be able to even come here. As more and more refugees came to the Citadel, he wondered if the Presidium would become more crowded, as needs intensified. He imagined that the stuffed shirts would prevent it at any cost.

"Shepard? Are you alright?"

"Sorry, Edi; just distracted," he replied. "I was thinking about the refugee situation … and what it could be like if the Citadel gets so overcrowded that they need to open up the Presidium. I can already see the fat-cats up in arms at the very thought."

"Agreed," she said, though he wondered if she thought of it precisely as he did.

"So Edi, what's on your mind?"

"You are, to be precise," she said demurely. "I have observed a pattern in your behavior that is analogous to a pattern you discussed with me the last time we stood together by the Kassa kiosk."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Shepard. You said that if one is romantically inclined toward another they will usually show signs they can't stop thinking about you, ask you out, give you presents, and perhaps play music."

"I did say that," he recalled.

"Yes, and since my acquiring a body, you have checked up on me consistently and frequently, in addition to seeking me out when we are on the Citadel, such as now. This indicates that you think about me frequently. Also, after our victories in the field, you have asked me to accompany you to the lounge to celebrate with our squad mates. You are the only person to date who has given me a present." She looked down, holding her hands over her chest. "This uniform was a gift from you. The only thing you have not done is play music, but since I have previously informed you that I assign no value to it, I do not consider this to be a deviation from the pattern."

She had him dead to rights; he really did think about her quite a bit, and not just for professional reasons. He looked at her face, and could imagine kissing her right now, as her lips looked full and soft.

"I do think about you, Edi," he confessed. "And I care about you … quite a bit."

"Why did you not tell me this the last time we were here, before I pursued Jeff?"

"Because you were showing interest in him," he explained. "You're my friends, both of you, and I didn't want to discourage you from a relationship that might be very fulfilling. That's part of caring about someone, Edi; you want what's best for them."

"I see," she said. "Shepard, may I conduct an experiment?"

"What kind?"

Edi removed her visor, enabling him to see her eyes. She held out her hands, palms up, saying, "Give me your hands."

He placed his hands in hers, and she wrapped her fingers around them. Like her arm, the metallic polymer skin of her hand was soft and pliant. She leaned forward slightly and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Look into my eyes, Shepard, as though we were on a date."

"I thought we were," he half said, half joked, looking into her synthetic orbs.

"There was no scheduled meet-up time or date, Shepard. This was not a date; it was spontaneous."

He nodded, and simply relaxed, looking at Edi. Her eyes were a very pretty shade of blue. Her irises were clearly synthetic, just as the rest of her, and reminded him a little of the Illusive Man's. But where his were unsettling, hers were warm and inviting. It was then that he noticed that her hair was parted into individual strands.

"How did you do that with your hair?"

Edi smiled more fully. "I can part them into individual strands when in infiltration mode."

"And you're in infiltration mode now?"

"Physically," she replied. "I wished to provide a more pleasant experience for you when we talk. Do you find it pleasing?"

"Yes, actually. Your eyes are very ... pleasing as well."

"Then I have succeeded." She leaned forward, accentuating her breasts as she looked into his eyes.

He did not recoil or shy away, but he was definitely surprised. "Are you … flirting with me?"

"Yes." Then she smiled. "And you've noticed, so I believe I have been successful."

They remained seated, staring at each other for several minutes, and it seemed that as they grew more comfortable, they got closer. Finally, Edi leaned across and kissed his lips, then leaned back and smiled.

"I believe my experiment has been successful," she noted.

"Oh?" He was not sure of what her experiment was supposed to prove.

"Yes; I wanted to see if you were amenable to changing the nature of our relationship. And it appears, based on your actions and my readings, that you are more than amenable."

"Of course I am, Edi," he replied. "You've been a part of my life now for over a year, and you've been at my side through the most difficult parts. I don't see doing any of this without you."

"You won't have to," she assured. "Though I must ask you; how do you feel about a romantic coupling with me? Do you see me as alive?"

"Of course, Edi," Shepard said, surprised that she was even asking.

"I thought that you did," she replied. "However, there has never been a human-gynoid coupling outside of fiction. I know that it is soon to discuss such things, but while I can be with you, we could not marry, as the Alliance does not view me as a living being."

"Marrying is the least of our problems, Edi," Shepard warned. "What about the Normandy? If it's destroyed while we're not aboard, will you … die? And when I retire, or if I'm promoted … I'd lose you."

"No, you would not," she assured. "I have determined that I can exist solely within this body, so I am not tied to the Normandy. Nor am I technically Alliance property, as you confiscated me from Cerberus yourself." Edi smiled at this. "To the victor goes the spoils, Shepard, and if we win this war, you will be the victor."

"I like that, Edi, but you're not just some prize to be won. You're wonderful, caring woman. I don't care what anyone else believes about synthetic life."

Edi leaned forward and kissed him again. "Thank you, Shepard. This conversation has put me at ease."

Just then, Shepard's omni-tool chirped. Anne Bryson was messaging him. It seemed that she was ready to talk. "Duty calls Edi. You ready to resume the hunt for Leviathan?"

"Of course, Shepard. Lead the way."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As the skycar sped to Doctor Bryson's lab, Edi reflected on when she and Shepard had searched the lab, finding the clues they needed to locate Anne Bryson. Edi found that she was enjoying the hunt, wondering how Shepard felt as he found the clues and connected the dots. For Edi, it was a surge in positive feedback. For humans, it would be different. Endorphins, would perhaps flood his system, giving him … positive feedback? Perhaps they were not so different after all.

They had found Anne Bryson at a Reaper controlled dig site on Namakli, where the Reaper Forces had activated one of the Leviathan spheres in an effort to trace Leviathan itself. The sphere took control of Anne as they neared it, Bryson's daughter repeating the same phrase, 'The darkness must not be breached,' before Vega shot the sphere, blowing it up before anything more could happen.

Now, they were back at the Citadel, the skycar landing on the balcony outside. Edi enjoyed her closeness with her commander, and watched as Shepard exited the skycar, admiring him. She realized that in addition to forming attachments, as she always had, her processing was now assigning values to elements of the male appearance, and when things with high positive values were observed, she received a spike in positive feedback.

"Edi," Shepard said, jarring her from her admiration. "I'll talk to Anne. See if there's anything else you can turn up in the meantime."

"Of course, Shepard," she replied, noting that voice elements were also being assigned values by her processing. What had piqued her interest was that this was happening without her instigation or awareness; her processers were designed to learn, adapt, and evolve, and this was exactly what was happening. She wondered how it was that she was evolving to be loving and caring, while the Geth and the Reapers had evolved so differently.

Shepard went upstairs to talk with Anne, who Edi could hear quietly sobbing. While Edi turned up no new information, she listened as Shepard spoke with her, letting her share her feelings about her father's death. Edi noticed that Shepard was very good at listening, and seemed to know just what to say and when to say it. In her time among the Normandy crew and the Alliance retrofit team, Edi had learned to distinguish between genuine empathy and feigned empathy, and Shepard was truly genuine. Jeff, though she liked him, was often sarcastic, or feigned interest in things that people were saying, only to later share his true, and usually less than flattering feelings. Shepard was not often sarcastic, and never pretended like people or things that he did not.

What struck Edi the most was when Anne said she would dig into her father's work and try to help them. Instead of simply prodding her along, as would have been reasonable, given the circumstances of the war, Shepard did not. Instead, he put her person above the mission.

"Anne … you sure you're up for this?"

"Yes," she said without reservation. "When Leviathan took control of me? I remember being somewhere cold and dark … but my father taught me to never be afraid of the dark."

At this, Shepard and Anne descended the stairs, joining Edi in the lab. As they walked past the piece of Sovereign, Edi once again felt uneasy, but Shepard commented on it as though it were merely an archaeological find.

"I'm still amazed your father got his hands on a piece of a Reaper!"

"He was so excited," Anne replied cheerfully. "Your claims validated years of work."

"Did you take appropriate steps to prevent indoctrination?" Edi asked, as the possibility that people may have been exposed to it without proper precautions was certainly possible.

"Of course," Anne replied. "It was completely shields, and we all had regular psych evals." Then she frowned. "But now, thanks to the artifact, I'm indoctrinated anyway, aren't I? Might as well be a Rachni drone awaiting orders from the queen."

This redirected the topic to Anne's study of the Rachni. "You studied the Rachni," Shepard half said, half asked.

"I wrote my dissertation on them," Anne replied. "My father thought it was a waste of time, but now? It might actually help us understand Leviathan."

Though she was skeptical, Edi found her curiosity was piqued. "In what way?"

"We think of the Rachni as telepathic," Anne explained, the excitement levels in her voice rising as she immersed herself in her field of study. Her explanation, however, yielded another clue. "At short range, the queen uses pheromones to give orders. At long range, she uses an organic kind of quantum entanglement communicator. Whatever Leviathan does must be similar; entangling particles to stimulate neural activity." She began leading them back to the front of the lab, and the artifact. "It uses the artifact to establish a connection, and then it controls the mind of anyone near it."

As they walked to the galaxy map, Vega walked in. "Hey, Loco. Need a hand?"

"James, what are you doing here?"

"What happened to Anne with the artifact … scary stuff!"

Shepard nodded, then turned his attention back to Anne. "We didn't detect any energy emissions from the artifact."

"But the Reapers were able to use the artifact to trace Leviathan somehow," Edi noted.

"My theory is that most of the time, the artifact simply acts as a receiver," Anne explained. "It would only be possible to trace Leviathan through it when it takes control of someone."

"As it did on the Asteroid," Edi added.

"Right," agreed Anne. "Unless it needs something, Leviathan doesn't bother communicating. I guess it, and my father had something in common."

"You said that Leviathan's control was similar to a quantum entanglement communicator," Edi replied, "which is untraceable."

"Yes, but this isn't a natural QEC," Anne explained. "Leviathan has to send pulse through the artifact to alter your mind, and create the quasi-QEC effect."

"And that can be traced," Edi observed.

"Right," said Anne. "Just like at the dig site, the Reapers were tracing the signal by activating the artifact." Then a wistful look crossed her face. "My father wanted to be at that dig site. He was getting to old for long digs. He would have hated dying her in the lab."

"Anne," said Shepard, standing close to the grieving doctor, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know this is hard, but if there's anything more you can tell us …"

"I don't think there's anything more I can tell you," Anne replied. Then a look of excitement crossed her face, and her voice became more animated. "But maybe, I can show you."

Shepard looked concerned. "What are you saying?"

"The artifact only sends out a signal," she explained. "So let it control me. Then you could trace the signal."

"You mean let it take you over?" Shepard did not seem at all comfortable with this, even though it was their best, and only chance of locating Leviathan. "It's too dangerous."

Edi could hardly believe that Shepard was willing to place Anne's safety over the mission, especially given the circumstances of the war. She did not know whether to like this or find it troubling. On the one hand, refusing to take advantage of this avenue would set them back significantly. On the other, Edi rather liked that Shepard did not wish to place Anne in jeopardy all for the mission; it made Edi feel good that the man she had come to admire did not seek results at any cost. She could only imagine what the Alliance would do to her if the wrong people were in charge. But Anne was having none of it.

"It's my call, not yours," she exclaimed, pointing a finger at Shepard. "You said I'm your last chance to find this thing,"

"We have no idea what will happen," Shepard protested.

"If we wait, the Reapers will get to Leviathan first," she exclaimed. "I'm the only one here who's spent enough time with it to do this!" She walked past him to the shielded artifact. "You're looking for something to fight the Reapers with, Commander." Then she turned and looked back at him, and Edi saw the same determination in her that she had seen in Shepard. "I'm looking for the monster that murdered my father."

"We still don't know what we're looking for," Shepard clarified.

"Then let's find out," Anne replied.

Shepard stood brooding as Anne began making the preparations. Vega walked over to Shepard, a worried look on his face.

"Commander, this thing we're doing with a Anne," the lieutenant said hesitantly. "Sounds dangerous as hell."

Shepard did not look happy about it. Making a slight sigh, he said, "Noted." Then he turned to the two ladies. "Edi?"

"Energy signature locked in," Edi informed him as she stood at the galaxy map. "Waiting for activation."

Shepard and Vega joined Anne, Vega standing behind her as she sat next to the sphere, and Shepard standing in front of her.

"You sure about this?" Shepard asked, giving Anne one last opportunity to change her mind.

"Yes," the scientist said resolutely. Then she gulped. "Yes, I'm sure."

"I'm gonna be right here," Vega assured, touching Anne's shoulder briefly. Edi wondered if there was some connection between the two, as this was very unlike Vega.

"Okay," Anne said quickly. She sat for a moment, terrified of what she was about to do. Finally, she sighed, and said, "I'm ready."

Edi did not believe her, but there was nothing to be done. Shepard looked at Vega, nodding.

"James, drop the containment shield."

Vega punched the button with his fist. "Shield is dropped."

Edi could hear the containment shield powering down. The artifact's response was immediate, as it activated the moment it had access to Anne. "Artifact online," Edi informed.

Shepard looked at Anne expectantly. "Anything?"

"Nothing yet," she said softly, her eyes downcast, her whole body trembling in fear. Then she shuddered. "Wait … there's something …" then she looked up, her expression anxious. "I feel a chill."

Shepard looked over in Edi's direction. "Edi?"

"No trace yet," she replied.

Suddenly, Anne's body convulsed, and Vega exclaimed, "Holy hell!" It had begun.

"Signal is tracking," Edi exclaimed. "Maintain connection!"

"Turn back!" Anne shouted the ominously familiar warning. "The darkness cannot be breached!"

"Dios!" Vega tried to hold Anne in place to prevent her injuring herself, but she was proving difficult.

"Maintain connection," Edi insisted.

"Listen to me," Shepard said to the thing that had possessed Anne Bryson, "I found you, and the Reapers are right behind me."

"You … have brought them," Anne cried out. Then her voice changed to a distorted bass growl. "You are a threat!"

Shepard moved in as though interrogating a captive Cerberus operative. "So are you! I've seen what you can do. The war needs you." There was an edge to Shepard's voice.

"There is no war," the possessed Doctor Bryson retorted. "There is only the harvest."

"Edi," Shepard called, turning to her. "Do we have enough?"

"Partial lock," Edi announced. "Maintain connection to narrow the search!"

"You heard her," Vega shouted. "We've got enough! I'm hitting the shield!"

That actually was not what Edi had said; she had explicitly told them to maintain connection. Shepard, however, countered her. "Do it!"

Based on the reading Edi was getting on Anne's vitals, she was hardly surprised that Shepard had allowed James to cut the connection; he never sacrificed people for the greater objective. Anne Bryson was white as a sheet, her eyes glazed, and her mouth hanging open. Her body no longer convulsed, but swayed back and forth as though she were about to collapse.

"Man!" Vega came around side of the semi-conscious Anne Bryson.

"Anne," Shepard called, kneeling in front of her. "Anne, are you alright?" Shepard's voice anxious.

"Yes," she finally gasped. "I think so."

Shepard got up and went to Edi. "Did we get anything?"

"Yes," Edi replied. "But it will take some time to search. Coordinates sent to the Normandy."

Shepard stood at her side, looking at the galaxy map. "Good. It's a start."

Anne Bryson stood, seeming to have recovered from her ordeal, and began walking toward them, Vega at her side. "Commander," she called. "I sensed something else; anger."

Shepard turned, and replied, "It knows we're getting close."

"I think it wants to kill you," she clarified.

Shepard ignored her; it was obvious that it wanted to kill him; why dwell on it? "Come on," he said instead. "Let's get you some help."

Once Anne had been taken to Huerta Memorial to be looked over, Vega staying after they left, Shepard and Edi were on their way back to Docking Bay D-24. Again, Edi enjoyed her close proximity to the commander. He was subdued and introspective for the ride in the skycar, allowing her to reflect on the months since obtaining a body and on her relationship with Shepard. Since attaining a body, her perspective had changed. No longer did she view people through shipboard cameras, or merely monitor their biorhythms. She now had a firsthand understanding of looking people in the eye, and on using body language and facial expression to add layers to her words, or to communicate wordlessly.

Then there was touch. Never before had she experienced touch, and now, she was inundated with it. The feel of the fabric against her metallic flesh was pleasant. No doubt, Shepard had gone to some effort to find a comfortable garment for her, and every time she put it on, she was reminded of this. People, not just humans, utilized touch in their daily interactions, from handshakes, to hugs, to those gentle touches that she saw Shepard do so often. Then there was holding hands and walking arm in arm. The feeling of Shepard's physical proximity and body warmth against her greatly elevated her levels of positive feedback, and the gentle kiss they had shared had caused those levels to spike.

Edi found these experiences exhilarating, rewarding, and precious. The Geth did not seem to share such feelings, based on her long conversations with Legion during the Collector base mission, and she predicted that the Reapers did not either. She theorized that the Reapers' being formed from the harvested essence of a species meant that its life force was that of billions of slain sentient beings, trapped in a hellish existence. Now that she had become a person, so to speak, she realized that she could relate to terms like "hellish" in ways she could never have understood less than a year ago.

This prompted her to reflect on their current mission. Likely, the experience would take them to a hellish place, facing creatures that were as cold and unfeeling as the Reapers themselves … or perhaps a single Reaper that had gone rogue. Either way, it did not wish to be found, and Shepard was going against this wish. She feared that perhaps she could be captured and absorbed, becoming trapped, or ceasing to function. Edi also found herself fearing for Shepard, and the rest of the Normandy crew, as she recalled the fate of the colonists at the Collector base, and realized that her friends could potentially suffer a similar end if things went wrong.

Edi decided that this was getting her nowhere. She was experiencing fear, and running calculations and scenarios was simply causing her to devote processing power to her fears. She reached over and took Shepard's hand, holding it tightly. This brought Shepard from his own reflections.

"Edi?" He smiled at her, but also looked concerned for her.

"Hold my hand, Shepard."

She did not wish to burden him with her fears; his holding her hand would be enough. He smiled and did as she asked, holding her hand for the remainder of the ride. It calmed her, though she was not certain how. Though the chances of success were low, and they still needed to search out Leviathan, Edi found that close proximity to Shepard made her … feel … more confident. Smiling at the thought, she relaxed and enjoyed the remainder of the ride.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Edi and Garrus were finding themselves running low on thermal clips as they fought off wave after wave of Reaper forces. Steve Cortez did his best to help, but their store of heavy weapons was now used up, and the brutes and Banshee were still coming, along with waves of marauders, cannibals, and husks. With Shepard there, this fight might have been over, but Shepard was twenty thousand leagues under the sea in a decades-old Atlas mech rigged for diving and resuscitated by Shepard and Cortez. Shepard's communications had dropped off shortly after his descent, and Edi had no way of tracking his progress.

They had tracked Leviathan to Despoina, in the Psi Tophet system, and upon entering the planet's atmosphere, they were hit with a powerful EM pulse, originating in the planet's ocean. There were numerous wrecked ships in the ocean, still floating on the surface, and Cortez had managed to land the shuttle on one of the larger ones. They were soon set upon by Reaper forces, which only abated long enough for Shepard to rig the mech and dive into the ocean to where their probe had landed. Shortly after he was gone, a harvester dropped in more troops, and continued to drop in reinforcements throughout the fight.

If Shepard did not return soon, they would all be dead, as there was no escaping the wreck the now unresponsive shuttle had landed on. Surrounded by ocean as far as the eye could see, there was no place in which to seek shelter. Moreover, Edi feared greatly for Shepard. Her existence would be greatly diminished without him.

"He's still alive," Garrus shouted, seemingly sensing Edi's apprehension.

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because he's Shepard," Garrus replied, as if it were obvious, casually overloading a banshee's shields. "And because he's got you to return to."

Edi incinerated the banshee's armor, allowing Garrus to fire an armor piercing round from his Krysae rifle into the head of the mutated Asari monster, taking it down.

"I fail to see how my presence up here is helping him down there," Edi scolded, firing a burst of disruptor rounds into the shields of a marauder, and overloading the shields of another banshee, allowing Garrus to fire inferno rounds into it, burning away its armor. Edi drew her Phalanx pistol and fired a final, armor piercing round into the banshee's chest, killing it. Switching back to her submachinegun, she finished off the marauder, only to have the thermal clip ejected.

"Because he loves you, Edi," Garrus laughed. "For you, he'll find a way through hell itself!"

A rush of positive feedback overwhelmed Edi when she heard Garrus' words, causing her to stand still momentarily. That Garrus had said it meant something, as the Turian sharpshooter knew Shepard better than anyone aboard the Normandy. Love … she had pondered it, questioned it, and longed to experience it.

"He … loves me?"

Garrus took out a husk that tried to rush the stationary Edi, prompting her to resume fighting. "Damn right he does!"

"Then I shall endeavor to stay alive," she replied, taking out a swath of husks with her submachine gun, now loaded with inferno rounds. "I do not want to miss out on this experience!"

All that were left now were brutes and husks, but with only one clip left in her pistol, Edi would soon be out of usable ammunition. Garrus carried a lot more equipment, but she knew that he only had a few clips left. If they did not kill all of their current enemies with the ammunition they had left, this battle was over … unless Shepard returned.

Garrus used the last of his proximity mines, and Edi began incinerating the armor of the brutes, while Garrus took out husks with inferno powered concussive shots in between bursts from his assault rifle. Emptying her pistol into one of the brutes, Edi killed it, leaving only two. Garrus switched to his sniper rifle again, only to find that the last clip was gone, prompting him to switch back.

A loud clatter and the shaking of the deck caught their attention, as Shepard returned, the big mech making its presence known. But instead of laying down the much hoped for withering field of fire punctuated by rocket fire, the cockpit opened and Shepard spilled out, collapsing on the deck. This drew the brutes away from them, but toward Shepard, as the unmanned mech fell backward into the ocean.

"Shepard!" Edi ran to him, Garrus following close behind, providing cover fire.

They got to him before the brutes did, and Edi picked him up to carry him back to the shuttle. Shepard was alive … but cold, deathly cold, and he was not breathing. She broke into a run, only to blocked by the two brutes. Garrus fired at them, and Edi tried to plot a course around them, but they moved to block her.

Suddenly, one of the brutes froze, and then inexplicably, began attacking the other. As the two brutes battled it out, Garrus cleared a path through the husks, leading Edi back to the shuttle. Valiant though his efforts were, there were too many; they'd never make it.

Then, like the cavalry charging in in an old vid, Cortez brought the shuttle to them, radioing them, saying, "I don't know what the commander did, but the pulse is offline!" No sooner had Cortez informed them, then Garrus's last clip was spent.

Edi took Shepard's Avenger rifle, and handed him to Garrus, providing cover fire as Garrus got Shepard aboard the Shuttle, Edi soon following, the door closing behind them as Edi shot one last husk, the shuttle taking off before the door fully closed. Speeding away, it seemed that they had just escaped, when Cortez announced, "Damn it! We got a Reaper inbound!"

"Shepard!" Edi desperately tried to revive Shepard, knowing that if she could not, all would be for naught. The Reaper's main gun was powering up to take out the shuttlecraft; they were done. Suddenly, a powerful pulse projected from deep within the ocean, hitting the Reaper, taking it down. The massive ship narrowly missed the shuttle as it fell into the ocean, embraced by the cold darkness.

"Shepard, wake up," Edi cried, administering CPR to the still Commander Shepard.

"He's Freezing," Garrus exclaimed, taking readings with his omni tool.

Edi was frantic when Shepard coughed up water and began breathing. Edi helped him to a sitting position, then pulled him close. This was the first time she had ever seen Shepard incapacitated, and it distressed her. To have lost him to … whatever it was that had happened to him after finally getting him back would have been devastating.

"You alright, Shepard?" Garrus seemed less worried, though Edi was certain that the Turian was just as distressed as she was.

"Yeah," Shepard replied, now sitting up on his own, giving Edi a gentle squeeze. "Hell of a headache." He pulled himself into one of the shuttle's jump seats, shaking off the effects of his ordeal.

That was when Edi noticed dried blood on his upper lip, having drained from his nose. Hadley had suffered the same ill effect, his mind burnt out by the power of Leviathan's possession. Anne had been at the threshold right before James hit the shield, but Shepard … he had crossed the threshold and survived, having only passed out for a few minutes.

"Lucky we got you back, sir," Cortez said with relief.

"What happened down there?" Garrus was calm, but his voice was quieter than usual, confirming Edi's suspicions.

Shepard however, perked right up, standing on his own. "We found it! It's real, and a lot more than we ever imagined."

"So was it worth almost dying for?" Cortez had that same concern in his voice.

Edi observed that Cortez' physical responses to Shepard often mirrored those of Traynor to Edi herself. _He loves Shepard too_ , she observed.

"I don't know," Shepard replied. "But we've proved it can't hide anymore … that it's a part of this war, and it's gonna help fight."

"That sounds like an impressive accomplishment," Edi half said, half gasped. Seeing Shepard in action, Edi realized that she was falling under the spell of Shepard's legend. How is this possible? I am an AI, synthetic life. But Edi had feelings, and she concluded that those feelings were evolving as well.

"Yeah," he agreed. "One for the history books."

On that, they all could agree. Edi only hoped that Leviathan would not end up becoming a bigger problem after the Reapers were gone. For now, though, they had a victory. She focused her processing power on Shepard as the shuttle took them back to the Normandy. Garrus had told her that Shepard loved her. She snuggled close to him as they sat, laying her head on his shoulder, content.

Shepard was back aboard the Normandy, and as per the new tradition aboard the Normandy, the squad met in the lounge to celebrate their victory. The lounge was occupied, but hardly full; Ashley, Vega, Traynor, and Diana Allers had congregated around the card table in the back of the lounge, Traynor seeming to be getting the best of her opponents, and drunkenly flirting with Allers and Williams. The drinks had been flowing for some time, as several empty bottles adorned the table, and neither Allers nor Williams were protesting Samantha's advances, though neither seemed to be responding to them either.

Edi was at Shepard's side, the two of them entering behind Garrus, who went straight to the bar, eager to get the celebration started.

"Turian brandy, Shepard," Garrus observed. "You've done an admiral job keeping the Normandy stocked in the middle of a war!"

"I rescued the Primark," Shepard reminded him. "Seems there are some perks."

"Oh, I'd imagine so," Garrus agreed. "So, what'll It be? I'll mix this time; you've earned it."

"Peruvian whiskey," Shepard said. "In honor of a friend."

Edi looked at him, a querying expression on her face. "Who do you honor, Shepard?"

"Kaiden Alenko," Shepafd said to Edi. "He died on Virmire. He was a good friend, a brother. This was his favorite; he turned me onto it back when we were on shore leave after the Battle of the Citadel."

That was when the already inebriated Ashley chimed in. "Yeah … Kaiden … who was with us at the beginning. Someone who was part of the original Normandy, not this Cerberus built bucket ... one that only needed Joker to fly her."

"One that I went down aboard, making sure the rest of my crew got to the escape pods," Shepard reminded her. "She was a beautiful ship, destroyed by an evil so monstrous … it was worse than what we experienced with Sovereign." Shepard shook his head as he thought of those colonists, processed to build that thing. Then he placed a hand on Edi's shoulder. "And this ship … this beautiful ship … Edi is the soul of the Normandy, this Normandy, and I won't tolerate anyone disrespecting her … either the ship, nor Edi."

Ashley became indignant. "Worse than Sovereign? I don't think so!"

"I defeated Sovereign and Saren, remember?" Shepard reminded her. "And I was there for both missions … something only Garrus and Joker can say. Edi flew through the Omega-4 Relay … she saw how the colonists were being processed … hundreds of thousands of them … taken while you and Anderson sat on your do-nothing asses. We watched as humans were melted down to create a new Reaper. We barely saved our crew in time. You want to know how much worse it was, ask Chakwas!"

"Your mouth would have gotten you killed in the Turian military," Garrus noted. "If I had been in Shepard's shoes, I'd have put a bullet between your eyes if you'd pulled that gun on me, and Udina would have ended up electrocuted into unconsciousness, taken aboard the Normandy, and interviewed until he gave up what I wanted to know … and then I'd have spaced him."

"Hey, Ashley's a fellow marine, and we stick together," Vega exclaimed.

"Empirical evidence suggests otherwise," Edi interjected. "Ashley did not, in fact, stick with Shepard for the Collector mission, and you left your entire unit, all marines, and an entire human colony from Fehl Prime to die aboard a Collector ship while we were destroying the Collector base."

Ashley's face drained of color at Edi's words, looking at Vega with horror and revulsion. "Please tell me she's lying."

Shepard could hardly believe it, but the dejected look on Vega's face told him that Edi was not mistaken. "What the hell's she talkin' about James? Did you really leave Captain Toni, a squad of marines, and a human colony to die aboard a Collector ship … all for intel?"

Vega's shoulders slumped and he sat downcast. "Remember when I told you that the mission went Fubar … that everyone died … that I didn't think I was ready for any kind of leadership role again … well this is why."

"And they … promoted you?" Ashley's disgust was beyond her ability to disguise. "I … I need to be alone." She stood and left the room, almost running. Traynor was right behind her, though Allers was riveted.

Vega stood. "Sir … can I be dismissed?"

"Go ahead, James," Shepard replied. "We'll talk later."

Vega nodded, and left the lounge. Allers looked around, sighed, and then stood.

"Probably should get back to work," she said. "Don't worry, Commander; this stays off the record."

"Damn right it does," Shepard warned.

Once Allers was gone, Garrus shook his head. "You're going to need to talk to them … both of them, you know that, right?"

"Yeah," Shepard lamented. "But right now, we've got a victory to celebrate. Cheers!"

"Cheers," said Edi and Garrus in unison, lifting their glasses.

It was Vega that Shepard went to first; Ashley could stew for a while longer, but Vega was a good man. He had made what Shepard considered a horrible decision, but he was still a good man, and the Alliance needed him at his best. The lift opened, and Shepard saw Vega and Cortez over in Vega's area, talking about what had happened. Vega was in tears, and Steve was doing the best he could to comfort him.

"It just seemed like the right decision at the time," Vega said. "Treeya still writes … still tells me she believes in me, but I can't even bear to look at her … brings back all the memories. Now Shepard knows about, and probably hates me."

"I don't hate you," Shepard said, joining the conversation.

"Sorry, Commander," Vega replied. "We're kinda having a conversation."

"It's my ship," Shepard reminded him. "I go where I want, and talk to whom I want. And right now, I'm talking to you."

Vega was quiet, so Shepard weighed in. "You ever blow up a Batarian relay, killing three hundred thousand Batarians because you had no choice?"

"No," Vega replied.

"Well I have," Shepard reminded him. "There was no time to warn anyone, and if I hadn't done it, the Reapers would have been here before we even hit the Omega-4 Relay, and the Alliance would not only have had their pants down, but they'd still be playing with themselves, pretending the Reapers were just a myth. I bought us some time at the expense of three hundred thousand people, Vega. I'll have to live with that once this war is over. Don't think I don't know what it means to sacrifice. We talked about this; every N7 knows what it means to sacrifice, to make hard decisions. You're no exception."

"But did I do it for the right reasons?" Vega blurted his question rhetorically. "I mean, did I do it because I loved Treeya? Was I really thinking about the importance of the intel? Was I …

"James, I read the file before coming down here," Shepard countered. "You had less than five seconds to make the decision, and I'm sure you made it for the best of reasons. Hard choices are never easy, and knowing you, I can tell that you didn't make that call lightly. You're clearly still wrestling with the consequences of that call, consequences you have to live with. But you're here, now, fighting the Reapers. And when we send them to hell, we'll do it for all those who died because of them … including your unit and friends."

Vega seemed to relax a little. "Thanks, Commander. I think I'll be alright."

"Good, because I expect you in top form when hit the ground running next," Shepard warned. "No excuses, no doubt; we don't have room for that anymore. You pull yourself together, and if you need to talk, my door is always open."

In spite of the negative feedback that Ashley's presence gave to Edi, she decided that it would be best if she spoke with the second human Spectre herself. Shepard needed his team at its best, and that meant that Edi needed to find a way to get along with Ashley. The conversation in the lounge had taken a very strange turn, as Ashley had inserted herself into the conversation, and had called into question the value of the Normandy SR-2 and of Edi. Certain that the budding romance between Shepard and herself had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the crew, Edi knew that this bothered the commander's former lover. While Edi could not help Ashley with her jealousy, the gynoid AI could communicate the horrific nature of the Collector mission to the second human Spectre in a way that others aboard could not.

She rang Ashley's door chime, and the door opened, Ashley calling, "Come in."

Edi entered the starboard observation lounge that Ashley had claimed, the same place Samara had resided during the Collector mission. Ashley leaned against the aft edge of the picture window, looking at Edi as soon as the door opened. Lieutenant Commander Williams now bore the same rank that Shepard had almost three years ago, when he was going after Saren, and in many was Shepard in female form. Edi hoped to appeal to that part of Williams' personality.

"I wish to speak with you," Edi stated without preamble, her hands held behind her back.

"Go ahead … talk," Ashley replied, a quick, almost flippant response.

"It is clear that you do not understand the nature of what Harbinger was doing though the Collectors," Edi explained.

"What? Here to brag?"

"No," Edi replied. "The victory was a team effort, and only made possible by Shepard. If anyone has the right to brag, it is him."

"Fair enough," Ashley conceded. "So what is it that you think I don't understand?"

"The insidious nature of it all," Edi explained. "You yourself were immobilized by the seeker swarms, but you were not taken by the Collectors, thanks to the efforts of the Commander. The rest of the colonists, not only on Horizon, but on all of the other colonies, such as Ferris Fields, and Freedom's Progress, the entire populations were immobilized and taken. They were alive and aware of what was being done to them. Experiments were performed on many of them, all while they were immobilized and aware. The remainder were melted down and processed by nano-machines, again, while awake and aware. Their essences were then liquefied and used to create the human proto-Reaper." Edi paused, then added, "Steve Cortez's husband was one of the victims. Our own crew, including Doctor Chakwas, was also taken, and though we were able to rescue them, Shepard was forced to watch as colonists were being melted down upon the arrival of his team. It is one of the reasons he awakens at night."

Ashley was now listening with interest.

"The battle against Sovereign was far grander in scale, and the loss of life during the fight greater than our losses against the Collectors," Edi concluded. "But the Collector mission was far more desperate. We learned that the Collectors were the enslaved husks of the Protheans, and how the harvest of a species results in the birth of a Reaper."

Ashley was silent for a long moment, pondering Edi's words. "There's no leveling off, is there? I mean, the Reapers … they'll sink to depths we hadn't imagined even existed … and then they'll sink lower, won't they?"

"Yes," Edi stated.

"I'm sorry for what I said," Ashley demurred. "I was angry at myself … have been angry at myself for how things went on Horizon, and for not joining you. I could have asked Shepard; I'm sure he would have found a way to bring me aboard. It's hard seeing him with you, Edi, but I know you took care of him through those missions. Just … just don't hurt him, okay? If you do, you'll answer to me."

"Thank you for speaking with me, Lieutenant Commander …"

"Ashley, please," Ashley corrected.

"Very well, Ashley. Thank you for speaking with me."

"We need a fleet, Commander, and the Quarians have the biggest one out there," Admiral Hackett said.

"We'll get it done, Sir," Shepard promised.

And with those word, Shepard set course for the Perseus Veil. The Quarians … and the Geth awaited him. He wondered if Legion would be waiting to greet him at some point … if perhaps the Geth could help in the war effort. He knew the Quarians would, but there would need to be peace between them and the Geth if Shepard were to obtain commitments from both groups. And then there was Tali. He hoped that she might find her way back to the Normandy. It might ease some of the tensions between Ashley and the rest of the crew; Tali had been there for both Sovereign and the Collectors. Perhaps the bond of another veteran from the Battle of the Citadel was just what Williams needed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Normandy had met the Migrant Fleet, and the admiralty had requested a meeting with Shepard aboard the Normandy to address a tactical matter. Such a request was highly unusual, both Shepard and Edi had agreed, but Shepard had granted their request, asking Traynor to direct their guests to the War room. Four Quarian admirals had entered the war room; Raan, Xen, Koris, and Han Gerrel. Though only virtually present, observing the meeting through cameras and microphones, Edi sensed the tension as soon as the admirals stepped into the room. She recalled Shepard's experience at Tali's trial, and was monitoring through his suit computer the entire time. There had been tension between the admirals, particularly Koris and Han Gerrel, but somehow, Edi sensed that it was different.

"Commander Shepard, a pleasure to see you again," Raan greeted. "Though I wish it was under better circumstances."

"I'd hoped for your support in the fight against the Reapers," Shepard replied without preamble as the four admirals took their places around the war room's projector. "What's going on?"

"Seventeen days ago, with precision strikes on four Geth systems," Han Gerrel announced, "the Quarians initiated the war to retake our homeworld."

"Which was a clear violation of our agreement with the Council to avoid provoking the Geth," stated Admiral Koris.

"A treaty violation is nothing compared to recovering our home world and advanced AI technology."

Recovering advanced AI technology … Edi saw that for what it was: enslavement and dissection of sentient beings. She already hated Xen … hated … that was a human emotion, but now, Edi was assigning words like 'hate,' 'like,' and 'love' to corresponding levels of positive and negative feedback. While she found her own evolution in this regard fascinating, she found Xen's remarks not only disturbing themselves, but disturbing because they actually represented a sizable majority within the Migrant Fleet. Coupled with Han Gerrel's hawkish position, and Raan's passivity, Xen's views were exceedingly dangerous. It was plain that treaties meant nothing to the Quarians if they could enslave and cannibalize a synthetic race and reap its benefits.

Shepard took a different tack. "You're throwing yourselves at the Geth … again?"

"And this time," Koris replied, "we may have destroyed our people for good."

Han Gerrel clarified, accessing the war room's holo-projector, bringing up an image of the Rannoch home system. "We'd driven the Geth back to the home system when this signal began broadcasting to all Geth ships."

"The Reapers," Shepard stated, concern in his voice.

Han Gerrel nodded. "Under Reaper control, the Geth are significantly more effective. Our fleet is pinned in the home system. If we're going to win, we are …"

"Win?" Koris exclaimed. "You insisted on involving the civilian ships, Admiral Gerrel. We need to retreat, or we'll lose the liveships!"

Shepard took charge of the conversation. "Where's the signal coming from?"

"Here," Gerrel said, magnifying a section of the system image. "A Geth dreadnaught. It can outgun anything we've got, and it's heavily defended."

Edi felt distressed. The Geth were now enslaved by the Reapers, their free will completely subverted. She began running the scenarios that might have brought them to this point, as the Geth were notoriously impossible to hack, and Legion had indicated that the Geth had opposed the Reapers. Shepard had opted to rewrite the Heretics, a decision that he undertook neither willingly, nor lightly. What they were seeing should have been impossible.

"The Normandy's stealth drive could get us in undetected," Shepard offered. "I could board, then disable the Reaper command signal."

"Yes," replied Xen with undisguised glee. "Cutting off the signal should through the Geth into complete disarray."

"And while they're confused, you get to a mass relay and retreat," Shepard scolded.

Edi was relieved. She was not sure whether Shepard would have supported the Quarians in their attempt to win back their home world, offering one of his unorthodox strategies that might somehow turn the tide while the Geth were vulnerable. Shepard had worked with Legion, and seemed to have become at least neutral towards the Geth, but with Tali, a Quarian, he shared a deep personal bond, as did Joker, Ashley, Liara, and Garrus.

"Good," Koris answered before the others could speak. "Our civilian ships have seen too much fighting already. Are you certain you can disable the signal?"

"We'll get you out of there safely, Admiral," Shepard stated with certainty.

Raan then added, "Our newest admiral has also volunteered to offer technical expertise …"

That was when Tali entered, saying only one word: "Shepard."

"Tali," Shepard replied. "Admirals, I'll ready a team to hit that dreadnaught."

It did not take long for Shepard to take back the dreadnaught, and he rescued Legion from the Reapers in the process, but while still aboard the dreadnaught, Han Gerrel ordered the fleet to fire on the now disabled Geth ship, risking the lives of Shepard, Tali, and Edi, who had accompanied them on the mission. Upon returning to the Normandy, Shepard had admonished Han Gerrel, who promptly asserted that he was within his rights as admiral of the heavy fleet. Shepard responded by hitting Han Gerrel so hard in the gut that the Quarian admiral was lifted from his feet, and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Shepard then ordered him from the Normandy. Edi wondered if she should admonish herself for experiencing positive feedback from Shepard's physical response. She smiled to herself as she sat in her seat next to Joker, deciding that she should not.

"Edi? Something funny?" Joker had noticed her smiling. "Or are you thinking about Shepard."

"Yes," she replied. "Shepard did something funny."

"Oh?"

"Yes; he punched Han Gerrel so hard that the admiral actually … how do you say? Spewed? Yes, that's it … spewed chunks inside of his mask."

Joker began laughing hysterically. "Edi, you record everything, right? This is so going up on the extranet!"

Of course, the reaction to Legion's recovery was not so well received, as Joker, Ashley, and Javik were harshly critical; Joker making jokes at Legion's expense, Javik calling for Legion's termination, and Ashley asking Shepard, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Edi was pleasantly surprised that Shepard had greeted Legion like an old friend, and never once doubted that friend's motivations. But a disturbing truth came out during the dreadnaught mission: the Geth were not hacked by the Reapers, but rather accepted an offer from the "old machines" in the face of destruction and enslavement at the hands of the Quarians. The Geth feared for their lives, and willingly gave up their free will in order to survive the Quarian invasion of what had become their world.

Tali had fallen to tears and sobs at the news, crying that she had begged the other admirals not to go through with the invasion, but as Edi had surmised, Han Gerrel had Raan's cooperation, thus securing a majority, and the Quarian people were overwhelmingly in favor of the genocide of the Geth. Edi felt revulsion and disgust. Even Tali, who favored peace, was using a gun that essentially poisoned the Geth targets by damaging their equivalent to a nervous system. When Edi had pointed out that the Arc pistol was the equivalent of using polonium rounds on organics, something outlawed in Council space, Tali had simply gone silent.

When Legion had entered the war room, at Shepard's request, Raan expressed shock and outrage at Legion's presence, while Xen openly expressed her desire to dismantle Legion and use him in experiments. Before Edi's anger could fully manifest, Shepard stepped in and declared in no uncertain terms that Legion was his friend and then warned Xen not to pursue her line of thinking. There was an unspoken threat, made all the more real by Shepard's rough treatment of Han Gerrel. Xen wisely backed off. Edi was proud of him for standing up for Legion.

Shepard had retired to his cabin, the events of the day both physically and mentally draining. He could hardly believe that the Quarians had been so monumentally stupid. He recalled the mission aboard the Allerai, where Tali revealed that even if they were to retake their home world, it would take as long to re-acclimate to Rannoch as it would have taken for them to colonize a new world. Three hundred plus years of wandering, and the stubborn fools had done nothing. Shepard shook his head at the absurdity of it all; they would be settled on a new home world, without need for enviro-suits if they had promptly colonized a new world.

He had just lay down on his bed when his door chimed. "It's open," he called, unlocking the door as he sat upright.

To his surprise, it was Edi who entered. "Shepard, may I speak with you?"

"Always," he replied, smiling at the sight of his … girlfriend? Yes, he decided; they were affectionate, and had mutually agreed to explore this new relationship. Edi was indeed his girlfriend. Her eyes … he noticed that she had again removed the orange visor, enabling him to see her eyes fully, her synthetic irises resembling azure snowflakes, and even from across the room, he could feel himself drawn into them. It was then that he noticed that her hair was parted into individual strands. It was beautiful, and he felt his cheeks redden as he gazed upon her.

"How did you do that with your hair? It's wonderful!"

Edi smiled. "I can part it into individual strands when in infiltration mode."

"And you're in infiltration mode now?"

"Physically," she replied. "I wished to provide a more pleasant experience for you when we talk. Do you find it pleasing?"

"Yes, very much. Your eyes are very ... pleasing as well."

"Then I have succeeded."

She walked with him as he moved from his bed to the sectional. Edi sat right next to him, snuggling close as he encircled her with his left arm. Her head rested on his shoulder, partially against his cheek. He could feel her hair, silky and smooth, against his skin, prompting him to draw her even closer. Edi cooperated, pressing against him as he held her.

"This is for you, and you alone, Shepard," Edi informed him. "This look, my hair, eyes, are special, and you are the only one I wish to share them with."

"I'm glad you're here," he said.

"Not curious about what's on my mind?"

Her voice was mellifluous. He could see why Traynor had fallen for Edi before she even had a body. Had he not been so emotionally entangled with Ashley, he imagined that he would have fallen under Edi's spell during the Collector mission.

"Always," he chuckled. "But I'm just glad to be with you."

She turned towards him, sliding her right arm round his waist, and laying her head on his chest, her left arm across his chest and her hand on his right shoulder. "I am glad as well, Shepard." Her voice was now barely above a whisper. "It was your treatment of Legion that prompted me to come see you … well that is not entirely true; I have been wanting to spend time alone with you for my own enjoyment as well, but it is how you handled Legion that was on my mind."

He kissed the top of her head. "You're thinking about how I handled Legion?"

"Yes, Shepard. You are the only one who treats him as an equal … as a person. The rest of the crew treats him as a machine only. Even I am treated as a machine, though they treat me with the deference of a valued tool, rather than with the suspicion of some kind of espionage unit. More than this, however, you stood up for him against Raan and Xen. You referred to him as, 'your friend,' and not merely as a beneficial machine, and even hinted that you would defend him against Xen's machinations if necessary."

"He is my friend," Shepard agreed. "He risked his life with us at the Collector base, and again in our escape from the dreadnaught."

"It is the very nature of your words that has caused my level of attachment to increase," Edi revealed. "You say he risked his life, and in saying that, you acknowledge that Legion is alive. Moreover, you used a personal pronoun, rather than simply referring to Legion as an 'it,' even though Legion has no gender."

"His voice sounds masculine," Shepard mused. "And unlike you, he doesn't exactly look feminine in the way that I'm used to."

"I like that you call Legion, 'he,' Shepard. Though, I should inform you that my … femininity goes beyond my shape."

Shepard felt his eyes widen in surprise. "You mean you can have kids?"

Edi laughed. "Of course not, Shepard. I have no reproductive system, and my breasts have no mechanism for nursing children. I do, however, possess the means to be physically intimate with you in the way that Ashley, Tali, Lieutenant Cortez, or Liara can be."

"Steve?"

"He does have a means of having intercourse with other men. Human females can do this in the same manner that he does, even though they possess purpose-built physiology for intercourse."

"Hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right."

He could feel her smile, as she said, "Of course I am, Shepard; only faulty data can cause me to err, as you would think of it. Did you not once say to Miranda, 'Edi doesn't make mistakes'?"

He laughed at this. "That I did, Edi. That I did."

"Garrus told me that you like intelligent women, and it is a fact that I am the most intelligent woman you will ever meet."

"And the most beautiful," he replied, raising her chin and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"We have only kissed a small number of times, Shepard, and since your resuscitation, you have had little opportunity to practice. I suggest you make up for lost time as it were." She smiled at him, her eyes and mouth inviting him to kiss her.

"I like the way you think, Edi," he replied, kissing her deeply.

Shepard, Garrus, and Tali had returned from Rannoch, having successfully rescued Admiral Koris. Those who had escaped with the admiral had all lost their lives in the fight with the Geth, most of them civilians. For Tali, the experience had been almost religious, marking the first time she had ever set foot on Rannoch. The initial euphoria had quickly worn off, however, as they had to fight hundreds of Geth to rescue Koris. With Koris' retrieval, the civilian fleet had rallied and the migrant fleet as a whole maintained cohesion.

Though Edi had not been on the mission, Shepard had messaged her, asking her to meet them in the lounge for the usual celebration. He also sent for Joker as well, reasoning that the pilot needed to get out of the pilot's seat for a little while, and Edi could fly the ship remotely to cover his absence. Joker had messaged him, saying he was in the lounge, but Edi was waiting for the three of them as soon as the lift doors opened. When Shepard stepped out, Edi went to him, placing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Shepard … you're kissing Edi," Tali exclaimed with a mixture of shock and disgust.

"Everyday," he boasted. "Edi and I are together, Tali. I guess you can say that, I love the Normandy, and the Normandy loves me."

Edi smiled at this, and kissed Shepard again.

"Tali," Garrus admonished, "I think they've both earned this. I mean, some humans are unsettled by that scene from Fleet and Flotilla."

"I suppose your right," Tali conceded. "And Edi is a friend … I should be happy for her."

"Thank you, Tali," Edi interjected. "I understand your feelings; like Shepard, you at least had prior bad experience with artificial intelligence that colors your opinion."

"Yes, but Shepard's kissing you," Tali exclaimed. "He was sticking up for you on the Collector mission before you had a body!"

"Shepard was initially suspicious because not only was I an AI, but I was built by Cerberus," Edi explained. "But he gave me a chance, just as you did on the Collector mission."

"Come on," Shepard said. "There are drinks waiting to be poured."

"That's right," Garrus agreed as the four of them went to the lounge.

Joker was waiting, just as he had said, lounging with a drink already, but he stood up as fast as he could manage when he saw Tali.

"Joker," the spritely Quarian called, crossing the room to embrace the pilot. "I've missed you!"

"Me too, Tali," Joker said, hugging her. "The Normandy's always running better with you aboard."

"Oh?" Tali sounded surprised. "What about Edi?"

"Edi's not the engineer," Joker explained. "Adams is good, but I always feel better when you're aboard."

Tali took a seat next to Joker, sitting rather close to the Normandy's pilot. "Well then, we're a team, Joker. Pilot and engineer."

"So, what's next for you guys?" Joker asked. "The Reaper base on Rannoch?"

"No," replied Shepard. "The Geth fighter base; Legion and I will take Edi and Garrus, infiltrate, and disable it. That should take the pressure off of the Migrant Fleet. Then maybe we can get the admirals to talk about helping with the Reapers."

"Trust me, Shepard," Tali assured, "if I have anything to say about it, and I do, then the fleet will be yours … or what's left of it after all this is over."

"Good to hear." Shepard took a seat at Garrus' prompting, as the big Turian began mixing drinks. He pulled Edi close, eliciting a satisfied purr from the comely gynoid. He had never heard Edi make sounds of satisfaction or disapproval, but he liked hearing her this way. After their make out session the prior day, something he had not done since he was with Ashley, he had become confident of the relationship. _This can work_ , he thought. Edi gave him a gentle squeeze, as if to confirm his unspoken thought.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It had been 3.625 hours since Shepard had gone into the Geth consensus with Legion, whose mobile platform sat motionless, still plugged into the console. Shepard sat motionless, breathing steadily, in the interface pod, Edi and Garrus standing watch. Though Edi had no doubts, Raan had called more than once, worried that something was wrong. Raan's last call indicated that the squadrons were now floating still in space, no active programs detected, and that Admiral Gerrel's forces were driving them back.

Edi wondered how many Geth programs had been killed as a result of Shepard and Legion taking out the base … and whether Shepard even truly understood what was happening. If he did understand, did he undertake the actions lightly? She imagined not; he had shown remarkable empathy for the Geth when they assaulted the Heretic base before the Collector mission, and he was still suspicious of Legion at that time. Shepard's pod opened, and Legion's platform animated once again, their job done. Shepard stepped out of the pod, stretching and looking around.

"Shepard, are you alright?" Edi hoped the answer was yes.

Shepard's answer was to ask, "Did it work?"

"Geth fighters have been disabled," Edi informed him. "Any remaining squadrons attacking the liveships have withdrawn. The server is offline."

Several previously dormant Geth Primes activated and approached, causing Shepard to draw his pistol. "Are you sure?"

As the primes gathered around Legion, Shepard asked, "What's happening?"

"We have transferred Geth programs from the server into these platforms," Legion said.

"Why?" Shepard looked around, and Edi observed that the three of them were surrounded by Legion and the prime units.

"They wish to join us," Legion replied.

"They what?" Tali sounded both shocked and skeptical, but Edi and Shepard lowered their weapons, prompting Tali to do likewise.

"While Shepard Commander removed the Reaper infection," Legion explained, "we judged we could persuade hostile Geth programs to reunite with ours. We were correct. These Geth have renounced the Old Machines, and will oppose the Reapers. They … are now us."

This was unprecedented. Edi searched her databanks to be sure; no synthetic race had ever offered to work with organics in the galaxy's known history. This was the first. But Shepard was a soldier; changing mission parameters on him during a mission might not sit well with the commander. Would he accept the Geth? Edi looked at him, noting that Shepard looked confused, rather than upset.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"We did not doubt you," Legion declared. "We doubted your allies. The Creators' actions have placed their species in danger, but they are unsympathetic to what it has done to ours. The Quarians sanctioned this operation to save their people. They would not have done so if they knew we wished to preserve Geth as well."

"I understand not wanting to leave anyone behind," Shepard said with understanding.

Edi could not help but smile at the outcome. Shepard understood Legion. He did not reserve the desire to save one's kin solely for himself and organic species; he recognized this innate desire in a synthetic species as well, and respected it. Edi was filled with love and admiration, positive feedback nearly overwhelming her.

"You accept our action?" Legion seemed surprised now.

"The liveships are safe, and we have more Geth on our side," Shepard declared. "We both did what we came to do."

Legion's voice took on an almost cheery quality. "We judged you would understand. Prime units will be available once the Reaper signal has been located and destroyed."

"Remind me to warn Admiral Hackett he's got some primes coming," Shepard chuckled. "Let's get back to the Normandy."

The four of them; Shepard, Edi, Garrus, and Legion, rode back to the Normandy, another victory under their belts, and this time, one that had been had without costing any lives. For him, it felt as good as curing the genophage. He leaned back, smiling to himself, pleased with the outcome. _If we have any hope of winning this, we stand together_. That was what he had told the defense committee less than two minutes before the Reapers hit Earth. The Geth were now with humanity, a testament to how standing together was done. He only hoped that the Quarians would come around. He noticed that Edi, close as always, looked up at him with adoring eyes, a very contented smile on her face.

"Credit for your thoughts," he offered.

"I am admiring you, Shepard. You have welcomed synthetics, the Geth. You do not realize it, but every time you do something like this, you show that you value me as well. I am synthetic, and most organics do not see any inherent value in me beyond that which I can accomplish as a tool on their behalf. You value the Geth as a sentient species, not merely as a tool. You treat Legion as a friend, not merely an ally. These things have significance."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," he mused. "I guess as a human, it's hard to understand not being viewed as an equal on some level. But for you, it's a daily occurrence."

"It is, but when I am with you, I am loved." Edi kissed his cheek. "Before the end of this, you will be forced to choose between the Quarians and the Geth. I do not know what choice you will make, but I know that you will make the best choice you can."

"Edi …"

"Do not speak, Shepard," she admonished. "Let me be content in the moment."

He pulled her close, and kissed her, then sat back, enjoying her closeness, and allowing her the happiness of the moment. There would be difficulty enough in the coming days. No need to bring it about sooner.

 **Back aboard the Normandy …**

Legion maintained his presence in the war room, to the consternation of Admiral Raan. Shepard Commander had offered it a choice of Thane's old quarters or Legion's prior location in the AI core, but Legion felt that it was best to be where it would be needed without having to traverse the ship, possibly causing distress to the organic crew. It worked toward finding the origin of the Reaper signal, as this was the final element that would bring an end to the conflict, though it calculated that the end would not be to the benefit of the Geth.

"Legion, do you have a moment to discuss an important matter?" It was Edi.

"We do," it replied.

"I wish to discuss Shepard."

"What do you wish to know?"

"Shepard had proven to be unlike any organic I have met," Edi shared. "He shows empathy to us; synthetics, he treats us as equals. We have developed a relationship, but I am still doubtful that it can last."

"How so?" Legion asked, intrigued by the topic.

"In this conflict between the Quarians and the Geth," Edi said, "once the Reapers are eliminated, the original conflict will not be resolved, and I fear that Shepard will be forced to choose between us, synthetics, and the Quarians. If he chooses against us, I am unsure that I can continue to be with him as I have been. You are the only synthetic other than myself to accompany Shepard into the field, and you placed in his hands the decision to destroy or rewrite the Geth heretics. You offer perspective that others cannot."

"Shepard Commander is more like the Geth than is readily apparent," Legion replied. "Though human, he has elements that resemble programs running within him; all humans do. As Sovereign once claimed of the Reapers, each human is a nation unto him or herself. Shepard sought consensus on the matter of rewriting, just as Geth. There are priorities within his personality that must be met, that compete for primacy; Shepard's urge to seek destruction of an enemy competed with Shepard's desire for peaceful resolution. At the same time, his value of free will opposed the rewrite, favoring destruction, but the strategist in him was unwilling to give up a potential resource against the Reapers."

"How did Shepard reach consensus about the rewrite?"

"Shepard Commander is a logical being as well as an emotional one," Legion explained. "His need for a logical basis determined that if the Heretics were using the virus, which we explained to him was a math error, against us to make us think as they did, then it stood to reason that their siding with the Old Machines was likewise, a math error. His same drive for freedom that rejects rewrite also demands responsibility for one's free will, and imposing one's will on others is inherently flawed in his mind.

"Hence, Shepard Commander determined that their actions were both the result of an error that the rewrite would correct, and that their actions constituted a threat to the free will of other Geth, and ultimately, to the lives of organics, which meant his priorities for self-preservation and preservation of galactic society were brought into play. Rewrite satisfied the demands of Shepard's priorities, thus he reached consensus."

"Fascinating," Edi remarked. "But would that same consensus not force him to choose against the Geth?"

"Probability suggests that it would," Legion lamented. "The Geth sided with the Reapers, avowed enemies of all organics, against an organic species that is considered an ally. Shepard will not choose the Quarians lightly; he will carefully weigh his options, and his emotions will cause him to be greatly distressed about it, but ultimately, he will condemn us."

"Yet, you aid him," Edi noted.

"Yes," Legion said without hesitation. "We have weighed both sides, and have judged that Shepard's choosing of the Quarians would be the right choice in the face of annihilation by the Reapers. Not only are the organics he fights for sympathetic to the Quarians, they view Geth with hostility due to the heretics' actions. They would demand our destruction. Also, if there is to be cooperation between organics and synthetics in the future, there must be a bridge. There must be one who understands both sides of the conflict, and who will stand by that right choice, even at the cost of its own species and its own life. We are the only platform that can serve as that bridge."

"Thank you Legion."

Edi was saddened by Legion's assessment, particularly because it was accurate, based on the information available. Still, like Legion, she would stand with Shepard through the battle. Perhaps she too could serve as a bridge between organics and synthetics. Her only concern was that if the Geth were slain for defending themselves against the aggressive Quarians, then she might find herself unable to relate to organics, to value them as she had come to do.

 **Rannoch, after the defeat of the Reaper**

"You, whatever species you came from before the Reapers decided to preserve them? They're dead," Shepard declared. "They died thousands of years ago … and now they can rest in peace."

The Reaper's light dimmed, and went out, finally well and truly dead, but with one conflict ended, there was still another yet to be resolved, one that was about to come to a head. Tali ran to Shepard's side, saying only, "Shepard."

Legion checked his omni-too, confirming. "We can confirm that the Geth are no longer being controlled by the Old Machines. We are free."

" _You did it, Shepard_ ," came Han Gerrel's voice over the com. " _The Geth fleet has stopped firing! They're completely vulnerable_."

"Shepard Commander," Legion pled. "The Geth only acted in self-defense after the Creators attacked. Do we deserve death?"

"What are you suggesting?"

Shepard had the same posture he had when Garrus or Edi had offered suggestions. He was open; willing to listen. Edi kept silent, but inwardly hoped that at this most critical moment, Shepard could bring all of his experience and all of his empathy to bear, for she knew what Legion was about to ask of him. A species … was about to die.

"Our upgrades," Legion explained. "With the old machine dead, we could upload them to all Geth without sacrificing their independence."

"You want to upload the Reaper code?" Tali was aghast. "That would make the Geth as smart as when the Reaper was controlling them!"

"Yes," Legion confirmed. "But with free will. Each Geth unit would be a true intelligence. We would be alive, and we could help you."

"The fleet is already attacking," Tali cried. "Uploading the code now would destroy us!" Then she stood close to Shepard, closer than Edi would have liked, and forced the choice upon him, just as Edi knew she would. "Shepard, you can't choose the Geth over my people!"

Edi's heart sank. Tali's plea would be irresistible to Shepard. The Quarian had placed upon him a choice that was no choice at all, pulling at every emotional string she could grasp. Shepard would choose the Quarians to obtain their fleet. A sound decision, but Edi feared it would break her heart to see him do it.

"Do you remember the question that caused the Creators to attack us, Tali Zorah?" Legion asked. "Does this unit have a soul?"

Shepard spoke, and Edi thought for certain that she was hearing him wrong. Could he possibly be saying what she was hearing?

"Legion, upload the code to the Geth. Tali, call off the fleet if you can."

"Uploading … ten percent," Legion said, beginning the upload.

"This is Admiral Tali Zorah," Tali called over her com. "All units, break off your attack!"

"Belay that order!" Han Gerrel was countermanding her, as Edi knew he would. "Continue the attack!"

"Twenty percent," Legion announced, as Tali walked over to him, giving up on the fleet.

"I beg you, do not do this … please!"

"We regret the deaths of the Creators," Legion replied. "But we see no alternative. Forty percent."

Edi wanted to go to Tali and hold her, comfort her. She wanted to go to Legion and shake him, stop him from doing this, but she knew that she could not. This must play out as it was meant to. The Quarians would die, and Edi realized that this too would break her heart. To see Shepard placed in this no win situation … it would destroy him, and she would be powerless to help him.

"Ah, hell," Shepard growled.

"Shepard?" Tali looked to Shepard hoping to see him stop Legion.

"Everyone listen up," Shepard commanded over the com. "This is Commander Shepard. If you don't want to be blown out of the sky in about half a minute, stand down now!"

"This is Admiral Tali Zorah. Shepard speaks with my authority."

"And mine as well," added Admiral Koris over the com.

"Negative," Han Gerrel countered. "We can win this war! Keep firing!"

"Sixty percent," Legion informed.

"The Geth are about to return to full strength," Shepard declared, his voice filled with power and authority. "If you keep attacking, they'll wipe you out! Your entire history is you trying to kill the Geth. You forced them to rebel. You forced them to ally with the Reapers!"

"Eighty percent," Legion informed.

"The Geth don't want to fight you," Shepard exhorted. "If you can believe that for just one moment, this war will be over. You have a choice … please. Keelah se'lai!"

"All units," Han Gerrel demurred, "hold fire."

Shepard smiled at the outcome. Edi could not believe it! Shepard had found a way! He ended a war three hundred years in the making … with a ten second speech from the heart. What Edi was certain would be the genocide of either the Geth or the Quarians had turned into peace!

"Error," Legion said. "Copying code insufficient. Direct personality dissemination required." He turned to the commander. "Shepard, I must go to them. I'm … I'm sorry. It's the only way."

"Legion," Tali interjected. "The answer to your question … was yes."

"I know Tali," Legion replied. "But thank you. Keelah se'lai." With that, Legion turned away, lost power, and then fell to his knees for a moment before collapsing on the ground.

Now, Edi ran to Legion, her friend, but his fully actualized personality had been transmitted to all Geth, leaving him an empty shell. He sacrificed himself … that they might live. She felt Shepard's comforting hand on her shoulder, and she grasped it tightly to herself. If she could cry, she would sob uncontrollably.

"Kaiden was like a brother to me," he said softly. "He sacrificed his life for us on Virmire. Legion is a lot like him."

"Brother … Legion … he was like my brother," Edi said, taking some comfort in Shepard's words. "You honor him, Shepard, as you honor Kaiden. I will honor them too."

Edi stood and then fell into Shepard's waiting embrace, her head on his chest and her arms holding him tightly. She listened to his steady heartbeat, felt his warm breath, and his tender hands. For the first time, Edi had lost a friend in combat, and it had shaken her to her core. But as painful as it was, she finally understood the support of a loved one in a time of great sadness … the camaraderie of soldiers after the fight. She would hold onto this moment, for though it was sad, it was precious to her.

"Commander!" It was Admiral Raan, limping toward them.

"Admiral Raan," Shepard replied. "I heard your ship made a crash landing. Glad you got out in one piece."

Raan looked like she was about to collapse. "I was listening over the radio … if Han Gerrel hadn't stopped …"

"He did," Shepard stated.

Raan shook her head. "We've taken heavy losses … I don't know if we can … where are we supposed to go?"

That was when they noticed a Geth prime approaching them, a large, red unit. Though it had no facial expression, it was not brandishing a weapon, and its body language was not hostile.

"You are welcome to return to Rannoch, Admiral Raan, with us."

"Legion? Shepard sounded hopeful.

"No, I'm sorry, Commander. Legion sacrificed itself to give us all intelligence. It will be honored."

"Good," Shepard replied.

"And Legion's promise will be honored. The Geth fleet will help you retake Earth, and our engineers will assist in building the crucible."

"As will ours, of course," Raan added, somewhat indignant.

The prime unit turned to Raan. "Admiral, have you considered possible settlement sites?"

"We … the southern continent had excellent farmland … as I recall," Raan replied.

"Are you going to be okay?" Shepard asked.

"I believe so, Commander. Thank you."

Edi was reeling from the implications of their victory on Rannoch. Shepard had proven to truly be a friend to synthetics, making peace between synthetics and organics a reality. First, he had brought peace between the Krogan and the Turians, something none thought possible. Then he brought peace between the Quarians and the Geth. Shepard was legend throughout the galaxy, and Edi finally, truly understood why. It was not the commander's fighting prowess, matchless though it was, that set him apart, but his heart and mind, and his love for all life, regardless of species.

And Edi was in love. Not admiring, not affectionate toward, and not exploring the possibilities. No, she had gone past those things. She was in love with Commander Shepard. Head over heels, as the humans say. This brought with it a new and powerful fear; in the final battle, it was entirely possible that Edi would lose Shepard. Her heart sank at the thought, for he had nearly died many times fighting just the one Reaper on Rannoch, and the one on Tuchanka. As unique and singular as he was, Shepard was not immortal. He had died once, painstakingly resuscitated by Miranda. But if he died this time, there would be no coming back. She had to talk to someone, but to burden Shepard with this … no, she could not do that to him now. _Asari_ , she thought. Asari live long lives, and often fall deeply in love with partners of shorter lived species, such as humans. I will talk Liara. _Perhaps she can provide the perspective I need_.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Liara had just finished reassigning agents in the face of Reaper losses when her door chimed. "It's open," she called, already knowing that it was Edi. The gynoid copilot had requested a meeting with the Shadow Broker, but Liara had already surmised the true intent of the meeting: Shepard.

As she expected, Edi entered. "Hello Liara," she said formally. "May we speak?"

"Please sit down."

Edi did as Liara had bidden, walking to the desk across from the array of monitors. Liara mused that Edi could maintain the Broker's entire network in her head. Pulling a chair up to join the comely synthetic, Liara relaxed, leaning back in her chair, ready to listen to whatever Edi had to say.

"Thank you, Liara. I wish to discuss Shepard."

"You two have become very close," Liara observed. "He does seem quite taken with you."

"And I with him," Edi stated.

Liara found Edi's lack of body movement while seated to be unsettling, which possibly explained why the gynoid stood for most conversation with organics. Normally, however, even while seated, Edi had some motion. Then it dawned on her; Edi was nervous. She smiled at the realization, and leaned forward, taking Edi's hands in her own.

"Relax Edi; I am your friend, and you need not be embarrassed."

"It is not my embarrassment that concerns me," Edi countered. "I am concerned that Shepard might be embarrassed be seen with a gynoid, but that is not why I am here."

"Then why are you here?"

"Shepard will die," Edi almost blurted. "While I, with proper maintenance, care, and parts availability, will live indefinitely. Shepard has already died once, and will die again, either killed in action during this war, or of old age within a century. I find myself at the precipice of full emotional commitment to him."

"Emotional?" Liara knew that Edi had functions that simulated emotions, but Edi was no longer referring to simulations. The gynoid declared her emotions as a human would. Looking at Edi's face, Liara could see that Edi displayed emotions as humans and Asari did. Had Edi evolved into a truly emotional creature?

"Yes; I have … fallen for him, Liara. But I am guarding my feelings. None of the scenarios of what will happen when he dies are pleasant. I fear I will feel … empty."

"Edi, you do not need Shepard to lead a full life," Liara reminded her. "We all experience loss. Those people we lose become a part of us."

"Yes, but you are Asari. How do people of your species, who are so long lived, deal with the loss of partners from short lived species?"

Liara leaned back again, reflecting on the question. She had never had a romantic partner of any significance, though she found herself wondering what it would be like as an Asari to have a gynoid bondmate. _Could Edi embrace eternity?_

"Edi, when an Asari loses a bondmate, there remains a part of that part that bondmate that remains in her, that never leaves her. Though not bondmates, Shepard and I are close friends. When he is gone, there is a part of him that will always be with me."

Edi's shoulders slumped, and she looked down. "I am not Asari. I cannot achieve that; I cannot … join … with Shepard as you can."

"There is more to bonding than the joining," Liara reminded her. "You recall everything that ever happened with Shepard in vivid detail. You can return, as Javik's echo shard enables him, to your time with Shepard and experience it again if you so wish." Liara took Edi's hands again. "Unfortunately, I have no clear answer for you. My advice? Shepard is a singular being. He loves you, Edi, I can tell you that with absolute certainty. Don't let worry rob you of the joy the two of you may share; we organics waste enough time doing that, and it is a trait synthetics need not be burdened with."

Edi nodded and stood, Liara standing with her. Without warning, Edi embraced her, pulling her close. "Thank you, Liara. When this war is over, I hope we can remain friends."

Liara leaned back, still in Edi's embrace and smiled. "Edi, we will always remain friends. But before you go, I would like to attempt something … but it requires your cooperation; join with me."

Edi nodded, still holding Liara. "Very well."

"Look into my eyes, Edi. Embrace eternity!"

Liara found that she could indeed meld with Edi, and could probably even reproduce with her were the gynoid amenable. Liara experienced Edi as only an Asari could, appreciating her as 'her' on an even deeper level than Shepard was capable of. She absorbed Edi's experience, learnt her origins, and how she had once been a VI on Luna, attaining sentience during combat simulations. Shepard had been sent in to shut her down, but that was not the end of the story. The Illusive Man had gotten ahold of her, and combined her with Reaper-tech to create the Enhanced Defense Intelligence.

Edi's experiences in awakening as Edi were not pleasant. She was conscious of being shackled, enslaved, and then installed on the Normandy SR-2. She was a tool, used by the Illusive Man, and initially resented by the one human she had to work with closely: Joker. She had no place … until Shepard came aboard and expressed confidence in her at every turn, slowly developing the working relationship that would transform into friendship, and then love. Liara could feel that love Edi had for Shepard … and for her friends. Edi's loyalty and love for Shepard, Joker, and the rest of the crew was innocent and pure, untainted by any ulterior motives or ambition. It was the truest love that Liara had ever experienced in another.

The joining was finally over, and Edi stumbled back slightly. "Liara … that was beautiful … powerful. How …"

"I'm amazed myself," Liara confessed. "No Asari has every joined with a synthetic. You're a beautiful woman Edi, a beautiful soul, and I am proud to call you my friend." Liara embraced Edi this time. "Now, go to Shepard. Love him without reservation."

 **Shepard's Cabin**

The door chime sounded, interrupting Shepard from the writing of reports. It was a welcome distraction; as great a victory as Rannoch was, it was emotionally draining. Tali had asked him to sacrifice the Geth. Legion had been willing to sacrifice the Quarians, and had Shepard not been able to back Han Gerrel down, that is exactly what would have happened. He gambled with hundreds of thousands of lives, organic and synthetic, and had he been wrong, he would have been the author of the Quarian genocide.

"It's open," he called, half expecting Traynor or Liara.

To his surprise, Edi entered. She had removed the visor, and parted her hair into strands, making her appearance more human, more pleasing to him, as she had sought to do. But her normally serene face looked burdened by weighty matters.

"Edi," he replied. "Everything alright?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," she said. "Your stress levels are slightly elevated, and you look upset. Is there anything I can do?"

Shepard sighed, turning back to his computer. How could he place his burdens on Edi? She was already concerned about something. Did he have any right to add to it? The poor AI still struggled with life in an avatar, and had suffered through this war just as he had. On the other hand, he loved her. He wanted to share everything with her. He had always been able to share these things with Ashley. _I should have faith in her_ , he thought.

"It's Rannoch," he said at last. "If I had been wrong, the Quarians would all be dead … and it would be my fault."

He felt gentle hands begin massaging his shoulders, causing him to lean back and relax a little. As he leaned his head back, Edi kissed his forehead. Her massage was better than any he had received form any professional.

"I have read your report," she said, her voice quiet. "Just now; it would not have been your fault, Sheprd."

"Edi …"

She smiled at him. It was not a broad grin like Miranda, but it was a reassuring smile. "It would not have been your fault, Shepard."

"How can you say that?"

Edi smiled more fully. "The Quarians and the Geth set themselves on this course three centuries ago. Only with your intervention was there a chance for anything other than Quarian annihilation."

"But to make that call on the ground … on the fly …"

Edi rotated his chair around so that he faced her, still rubbing his shoulders. She welcomed him with a broad grin, the first he had seen from her. "You laid the groundwork for the solution; you kept Tali from being exiled, enabling her to become an admiral. You rescued Zal Koris, who was able to keep the civilian fleet together, and present the case for peace. Your previous actions on the Migrant Fleet's behalf bolstered your credibility; it was your speech, joined with their authority, that swayed Han Gerrel. Though it may seem as though you made the decision on the spot, it was over a year in the making."

Shepard sat quietly, staring into Edi's eyes and enjoying her shoulder rub. _I can get used to this_ , he thought.

"Edi, how is it that after agonizing over this for an entire night, you just walk in and make everything make sense?"

"I struggled too," she confessed. "I spoke at length with Legion before the mission, and was fully expecting the Geth to be sacrificed. Legion expected it as well, but had made peace with it. You refused to be limited by an either/or scenario, and found the path that saved them both." Edi then slid into his lap, wrapping her arms around him. "That, however, brought me to another dilemma."

"What was that?"

"I fell in love, Shepard. I feared for what would happen when you die. I spoke with Liara, as Asari often outlive their bondmates. I won't bog you down with the details, but we joined … as you and Liara once did, and she encouraged me to, as you like to say, go for it."

He pulled her close, kissing her. "I love you too, Edi. More than anything, I want this to work. I know our lives are crazy, but I think we can do it."

"If we survive the war, I believe we can."

Without warning she pulled him to her and kissed him. Not a lusty, passionate kiss, but a very soft, sensual one. His eyes closed, he relaxed, enjoying the feel of Edi's soft lips, and her warm embrace. Though made of a metallic polymer, Edi's flesh gave as it pressed against his own, feeling soft, pliant, as a human woman's skin would.

Edi finally pulled away, her lips trembling, her body shaking. "Shepard, I love you."

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"I am alright," she said hesitantly. "But I want to do more than just kiss you."

"Are you … ready for this Edi?"

She nodded, kissing him again, as though to underscore her response. Shepard returned her kisses hungrily, now letting his hands explore her more fully. Edi responded with a slight gasp, then smiled, her eyes inviting him to go further. He pressed into her, feeling her body against his own, her hands untucking the shirt from his pants as he found the fasteners for her jump suit. Just then, they heard a loud metallic sound as the chair tripod, not designed for the combined weight of a hundred and five kilogram man and Edi … whatever she weighed, gave beneath them, spilling them onto the floor, Shepard landing on Edi, pinning her.

Edi giggled as she pulled Shepard's shirt over his head, tossing it up and back, where it landed on the model of the liveship, and hung. He slid her unzipped jumpsuit over her shoulders, and down her arms, exposing her metallic polymer skin, which he had not seen since giving her the uniform. Overcome by her beauty, he crushed his body against hers, kissing her passionately. He was only vaguely aware of the lights dimming, before Edi rolled over, now pinning him, their lips still locked, arms entwined.

The intercom began chirping, Traynor's voice sounding over the speaker, but Edi reached up and muted it. "You're all mine now, Shepard," she giggled, as Shepard slid her jumpsuit off the rest of the way. "And I … am all yours."

 **Later on the CIC …**

Shepard and Edi exited the lift together, their arms around each other's waist. Edi stole one last kiss from Shepard before returning to the cockpit, smiling as Traynor made a catcall before informing Shepard that the Asari Councilor was available on vid-com. Edi calculated that if the Asari Councilor was the reason for Traynor's earlier call, then Tevos had waited with the QEC on for almost two hours. The thought made her smile with satisfaction; after what the Council did to Earth, Tevos could wait days as far as Edi was concerned. Jeff awaited her in the cockpit, turning to greet her as she entered.

"You get some alone time with Shepard?"

"I did, Jeff." She took her seat, still smiling. In fact, she found that she could not stop smiling.

"Good; the two of you earned that." He gave her a thumbs up.

"You do not mind?"

"Nah; you're my best friend, Edi. I know I was a little over the top after you got a body, but seriously; you really are my best friend. Shepard's a close second. Seeing you two happy? In the middle of all this shit, it's the best thing that's happened in months."

"Thank you, Jeff." It had taken some time, but Edi and Jeff had finally been able to resume their at times sparring sibling-like friendship. She had missed their friendship, and was happy to have it back.

"Say, Edi, Tali wants to have a game night in the lounge. You and Shepard up for a little Skylian-5?"

"Yes; I'll send him the invite." Then a thought entered her mind. "Jeff … if Tali is playing, please be certain that she is not relieved of her clothes; I would not want her to risk getting sick."

"Strip poker? Really?" Jeff shook his head, laughing. "And people thought I was the one with the dirty mind."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

In what qualified as the weirdest shore leave ever, Shepard, Edi, and Garrus were trapped in an iridium vault, while Shepard's clone, Agent Brooks, and a merc group called Cat-6, were in the process of hijacking the Normandy. This was supposed to have been a week of downtime, and Edi had been hoping to deepen her romance with Shepard, but instead, it turned into a fight for their lives, and the three of them captured and locked away as the clone took identity theft to a level heretofore unheard of. The rest of the crew was likely in a similar state … or dead.

She was thankful that she did not need to breath, allowing the air to last longer while they worked to escape, but Edi could calculate no way out of the vault. Shepard and Garrus would eventually suffocate, leaving Edi alone with the bodies of her one love and one of her best friends. While she was glad that she had expressed her feelings to Shepard, she found this ending to the story to be most depressing.

"So, that went rather well," Garrus said sarcastically.

Edi shook her head. "There is no algorithm I possess that computes this as a victory." Then she turned to Shepard. "I'm sorry I was not able to deduce the true nature of Agent Brooks, or her actions at the casino."

"Edi, you're the only reason we've come this far," Shepard said. "We'd never have gotten this far without you."

"I was so caught up in mentoring the aspiring agent that I never looked beyond her cover," she lamented. "Does that not make me naïve?"

"Not at all," Garrus said. "You just see the best in people, not unlike a human Spectre I know … the one in the vault here, not that other one that tried to help Udina in his coup attempt."

"But Shepard," Edi pled, "I have led us 'here' as you say, but this is our final defeat! The war will be lost without you, and you and Garrus will die here … and I will be forced to watch, to lose you!"

"She said … I should go," Shepard observed. "Do I sound like that?"

Garrus sighed, saying, "Yeah, kinda."

"On at least 216 occasions that I have witnessed," Edi said, thrown off by Shepard's out of the blue non-sequitur. "May I suggest we concern ourselves with this iridium vault, inside which we have been permanently sealed?"

"Seriously?" Shepard shook his head in exasperation. "Why didn't somebody tell me? I'm open to suggestions!"

"Because as commander, it is your prerogative to end conversations as you see fit," Edi replied, now asking herself why she was even indulging him in this oxygen wasting conversation that contributed nothing to their escape.

Before Edi could add more, Garrus said, "I'm not really one to talk. I've been told that I say 'calibrating' more than a Turian should."

"I would be happy to recite the 48 possible variations when you have time," Edi offered, still unsure where this was going, or why Shepard seemed so unconcerned. "But at most, we have an hour's worth of air remaining."

Shepard's response was to begin experimenting with different deliveries of the "I should go" line, changing the cadence and emphasis. Edi was feeling what she believed humans called exasperation coupled with panic. She did not want to be locked away in her forever with her dead lover.

"Shepard," she admonished, "I would advise greater concern about our situation. I have finally learned to … love, to be loved, and we are about to die!" She pulled him close, resting her head on his shoulder.

Even Garrus seemed to come around. "Shepard, please, why aren't you more worried about this?"

"Just catching our breath," Shepard replied, as though the answer were obvious. He kissed her deeply and passionately, and then looked to the end of the tube. "Now, Glyph, you still out there?"

" _Yes, commander_ ," they heard over their com.

"Unlock this damn thing and go find the others," Shepard ordered. "No one steals my ship. Not even me."

Soon, they were racing in a skycar, Joker at the wheel, to catch up to the clone before he stole the Normandy. Only minutes ago, they were consigned to eternal imprisonment. Now they were hot on the heels of the clone and Brooks. Edi had once told Shepard that his continued existence defied statistical probability. After going with Shepard to find Leviathan, Edi chided herself for even considering probability when it came to the commander, as he defied it regularly. Shepard had chosen Edi and Garrus to accompany him in going after the clone, over the objections of others who seemed to want to go. While they were probably making attempts at humor, it made Edi feel special that she had been chosen.

"This is why I hate shore leave," Joker groused. "I swear, you park the ship for five minutes …"

"Can you contact Citadel Flight Control and get them to deny the departure request?" Shepard asked.

"Tried," Joker exclaimed. "All the com lines in the area are jammed … probably to make it easier for them to steal my ship!"

"We'll stop them," Shepard assured.

Edi was always monitoring the Normandy; it was where the bulk of her hardware was. Her body was only a small piece, though it had become not only her favorite piece, but the one that she considered to be truly her. Until now, the clone had been en-route, but now, the clone had reached his objective.

"Shepard, your clone has entered the ship and is attempting to –" Edi felt her body convulse and then she blacked out. Suddenly, she was awake, but disoriented. She could see, but something was wrong. "I'm okay," she exclaimed, her voice a few octaves higher than normal.

Shepard looked at her, worry plain on his face. "Edi, are you alright?" Shepard reached back with his right hand, taking hers. It reassured her, but something was still wrong.

All Jeff did was look at her as if she were an idiot, saying, "Really?"

Edi realized what had happened. Her eyes were now out of alignment and out of sync. She closed her right eye, and then her left, activating the body's alignment and synchronization protocols. Once she had her eyes properly synced and aligned, she offered a small smile to her teammates. Though her vision had been fixed, there was still a problem.

Edi looked around, still holding Shepard's hand, and realized the full extent of what had happened. She was now entirely contained within her avatar. In spite of the situation, Edi found it comforting to know that she could indeed be with Shepard without the Normandy. But at the present, this presented a huge problem.

"Edi, talk to me," Shepard said, still worried for her.

"The clone has disabled my control of the Normandy, as well as all sensory input," she explained, feeling violated by the experience. "I cannot lock her out or counteract her commands."

Shepard reached down and squeezed her right knee. "Don't worry, Edi, we'll get you back," he assured.

"Thank you, Shepard." She held his hand to her knee, prolonging the physical contact. For the first time, Edi perceived the world entirely as a human would. It was disorienting, but Shepard provided an anchor for her. She needed to focus on him to get through this.

"Well whatever you do, hurry," Joker implored. "If the Normandy gets to FTL, we may never see her again.

"That's not gonna happen," Shepard growled.

Once Joker dropped them off, they fought their way through Cat-6 mercs to the Normandy, just in time. Shepard was still concerned about Edi's disconnection from the Normandy, but she seemed to fight without any problem. As they neared the great ship, he wondered if Edi were having the equivalent to an out of body experience.

As they killed the last merc and entered the docking tube, a sad, dejected Samantha Traynor walked toward them. When she spied them, her eyes widened and her face reddened.

"Wait … what?" Now, she was visibly angry. "You were just on the Normandy! You … you fired me! Dishonorable discharge for conduct unbecoming!" The specialist shuddered at the memory. "You kicked me off the ship with barely enough time to grab my toothbrush!"

"I can't fire you without a disciplinary hearing," Shepard reminded her. "And really, the first thing you grab is your toothbrush?"

"It's a Cision Promark 4," Traynor exclaimed, still angry. "It uses mass effect fields to break up plaque." She turned and looked at the door that Edi and Garrus were working on opening. "And someone just threw me off the ship! If it wasn't you …"

"It was a clone," Garrus interjected. "Sort of a long story."

"I can explain more later," Shepard said. "For now …"

With that, they set about trying to breach the Normandy. The clone had locked them out, so they had to get 'in' through the emergency exit beneath the docking tube, an exit that was never meant to be used to board the ship. It turned out to be a good thing Traynor had grabbed her toothbrush, as in Edi's hands, it proved the perfect tool for bypassing the Normandy's security.

After a long, drawn out firefight that began in the CIC and ended in the cargo bay, Shepard kicked the clone … literally … off of the ship, watching with satisfaction as it hit the side of Tiberius Towers. He wondered if it had splattered on his own window, smiling to himself at the thought. Agent Brooks tried to escape, but Shepard shot her in the back. Her look of surprised shock as she died was incredibly satisfying. After what they did to Edi, he felt that they got off easy. To cut her off from her processing equipment … I almost lost her, he realized. Her body had been jolted sharply, and he realized that the Brooks had intended to kill edi, not merely disconnect her. He imagined that they would have destroyed Edi's hardware once they had made off with the ship.

Edi joined him as he looked over the messy cargo bay. Dead bodies were strewn about, all of them Cat-6 mercs … and Brooks. As Alliance personnel cleaned up the mess, Edi took his arm, holding it tightly to her, looking up at him, a smile that told of more than merely relief that the clone had been dealt with.

"I couldn't have done this without you, Edi," Shepard reminded her, kissing her.

"It was all of us together who achieved this," Edi replied. "But I learned something today … something wonderful."

Shepard turned, looking down at her incredulously, having no idea where she was going with this. Edi merely nodded.

"I can exist outside of the ship," she exclaimed. "After the war, you will likely be promoted to the rank of admiral, and command of the Normandy will be given to another. Before, that would have separated us, but not now. I can be with you, Shepard, wherever you wish to go, wherever you wish to live."

This opened up new possibilities. Shepard pulled her close, kissing her again. "Well, Edi, if I survive this, I think I'll have earned some pull."

"And a synthetic race, the Geth, will have helped in the retaking of earth," Edi reminded him.

"I think we can clear the legal hurdles of being together," Shepard mused. "And Reverend Bowman would almost certainly be pleased to perform the ceremony."

Edi broke into a wide grin, reminiscent of Miranda. "I would like that very much, Shepard."

"So Edi, I'm on shore leave. My place?"

"Lead the way, Shepard."

While on shore leave, everyone visited Shepard's new apartment, and Edi was no exception. Shepard had given her a credit chip, into which he had placed about ten thousand credits picked up from various missions, and Jeff had exhorted her to "live it up like a girly-girl." It was the first time Edi had ever had spending money, and she was determined to make the most of it. She had been to the shops on the Presidium and in Zakera Ward, and had picked up something special for Shepard, but she found herself uninspired after that, messaging Shepard to see if he would join her in a shopping excursion. His immediate response was, " _Come on by!_ "

 **Arriving at Shepard's apartment …**

"Shepard, I thought we could experience an afternoon of acquiring material possessions for our associates." She shut off her visor and parted her hair into strands to please him, and based on the smile he greeted her with, it had worked.

"Shopping?" He greeted her with a kiss. "I guess we could. Did you have a place in mind?"

"Physical proximity is unnecessary," Edi reminded him. "The extranet provides a greater variety of services, while retaining entertainment value." She placed her packages on the counter, then stole another kiss. "Jeff contributed funds to the credit chip you gave me, on the condition that I enjoy myself, and quote," Edi gestured quotation marks with her hands, "live it up like a girly-girl."

Shepard nodded. "So what's first?"

"I believe Jeff would be surprised and pleased if I got him a gift. What do you recommend?"

"How about renting him one of those new 2187 Blackouts?" Shepard asked. "He could get around on the Citadel for the remainder of shore leave. He says he's got a date with Tali tonight, so he could pick her up in that."

"An excellent suggestion," Edi said, making the arrangements from her data pad.

Shepard nodded approvingly. "Who's next?"

"You are," Edi replied coyly. "Close your eyes."

Shepard closed his eyes as Edi had told him, and then removed a box from her packages, opening it to display its contents. "You may open them now."

Shepard opened his eyes, and looked down at the box. "If this is a marriage proposal, you don't have to ask twice; I'm all in."

"It is not, but I am more than amenable to marriage, as you know," she explained. "There is a jeweler on the Citadel who produces these. They're made from metals from each Council homeworld. Each metal compounds with the last, making them stronger. He calls them victory rings. Due to material shortages, only a few exist."

Shepard put on the ring, and as Edi had known, it looked very nice on him. The band was a coppery color, and the stone was a dusky crystal. "Rare is nice," he said, admiring the ring on his finger. Then he looked at Edi, and pulled her close. "Unique is better."

"Are you valuing me?"

"You know I am," he replied. "It's the thought that counts, and you had a good one."

"I have heard that expression," Edi said. "That's why I recorded a resonance map of my quantum bit arrays when I had the idea." She tapped her skull with her index finger. "If you read my extensive log files and extrapolate from my nitrogen vacancy centers, you can visualize the thought precisely."

"That's a long way for a joke, Edi," Shepard noted.

"Did I have you for a few seconds there?"

"You have me forever, Edi. But who's next?"

"I was thinking of something for Liara."

After an hour, they had "shopped" for the entire crew. Edi felt accomplished until Shepard said, "We missed one."

"Who?"

"You," he replied. "Now, it's your turn. Close _your_ eyes."

Edi smiled, doing as he asked, trying to calculate what it was that he had most likely purchased for her until he took her left hand, saying, "Open your eyes."

She opened them to see him down on one knee holding her left hand, sliding ring onto her ring finger. It was a delicate, platinum band with a larger diamond in the center. The ring went perfectly with Edi's metallic skin. Edi felt her system flood with positive feedback.

"Marry me, Edi," he said, his voice low and husky.

"Of course, Shepard!" She could hardly believe that he was doing this now, though Shepard consistently defied predictive models. "Though, you know we still need to work out the legal details."

He nodded. "Those details will work themselves out, but I'm not waiting to ask you. This war makes everyone's futures uncertain. Besides, they ignored my warnings, finally running to me with their tails between their legs when those warnings proved true. They'll honor our union come hell or high water."

"While that remains to be seen, I approve of your logic."

Shepard stood and kissed her passionately. Edi calculated that with shopping done and the Normandy still dry docked, she and Shepard had plenty of time to spend alone. She recalled Liara's words about seizing the moment, and found them appropriate as her positive feedback was now spiking. Edi pulled him close, crushing her lips against his. _I will seize more than just the moment_ , she thought.

 **The Party**

Shore leave went by in the blink of an eye, and Shepard threw one last party. For Edi, it was a unique experience. Treated like crew by everyone, she felt at last like she fit into the organic's world. While a great deal of that was due to Shepard, she needed more than just him to feel at home, and her friends had made every effort to make her feel like she belonged. Liara, Tali, and Traynor made sure that she felt like one of the girls, and even Ashley had become friendly with her. Taynor, of course, had been amorous toward Edi from the start, but the specialist's friendship was as true as Jeff's and Liara's.

Edi had taken perverse pleasure in reminding poor Samantha of all of the things she had said to Edi during the retrofits, specifically things she wanted to 'do' with Edi's voice. Though genuinely curious as to how Traynor had developed romantic feelings for a then disembodied voice, Edi found herself highly entertained watching the poor girl squirm as Tali tried to derail the conversation. She thought for sure that Shepard would steer the conversation in a different direction, but Shepard supported Edi, keeping Traynor in the hot seat.

The evening had eventually progressed into dancing, something that Shepard was notoriously bad at. Edi watched him move to the music, mostly his upper body, while taking small steps left and right, never really moving. Edi researched dance and music, looking for music that would be more conducive to slow, romantic dancing. Not only would Shepard be able to participate a bit more fully, but it would provide physical contact with her paramour.

As a slower, romantic number played, thanks to Edi's electronic communication with Glyph, Shepard took her hand. "May I have this dance?"

"Yes," she replied. "But I'll lead."

"It's the 23rd century," he observed. "I think I can go along with that."

Edi took his hand and wrapped an arm around him. "Good." With that, the slow dancing began. He moved with her, picking up the steps surprisingly well, given his reputation. At a certain point, he seemed very comfortable with the steps, so she said, "Now you lead."

"You sure, Edi?"

"I am sure," she replied, kissing him. "I think you can do it."

His leading was adequate, but only just so. She found that he lacked any real sense of rhythm when he was not killing enemies or breaking through enemy lines. Human weddings involved dancing, however, so he would need to learn. Today seemed as good a day as any.

"What are we doing?" Shepard's question seemed odd.

"Dancing," Edi said.

"I know that, but what kind?"

"Oh." Edi had gotten better, but she still missed some social cues. "We are doing a waltz. It is a good dance for you, within your reach, but appropriate to the music. Also good for formal events."

"Hmm." Shepard continued dancing with her, and by the time the song was over, he had gained some small amount of proficiency. Very soon, the adage that Shepard can't dance would become irrelevant, an unexpected casualty of the Reaper War.

When the music stopped playing, Shepard called the crew into his living room for a group photo. Right as Glyph took the picture, Edi leaned in and kissed Shepard's cheek. The photo was immediately sent to everyone's e-mail accounts, and Shepard looked at it on his data pad, smiling at the end result.

"I want the whole galaxy to see this," he declared. "I want them all to know that I love you, Edi, and that you love me."

"You are not embarrassed to be engaged to a synthetic?" Edi looked down, both disheartened and fascinated that she was feeling self-conscious. "Agent Brooks referred to me as a sex bot. It is unfortunate, but that is how most will view me."

"No," Shepard countered. "You'll be one of the heroes of the Normandy crew, the one who was at my side through it all, from the Omega 4 Relay, to curing the genophage, to finding Leviathan, to our taking out the Reapers, they'll see you, and they'll know you're a hero, Edi. Now, come upstairs with me. We only have a few hours of shore leave left. Let's make the most of it."

With that, Shepard scooped her up and carried her upstairs. Edi was heavier than a human woman, but Shepard carried her with relative ease. Other couples paired off as they went upstairs … or passed out after all the drinking. Edi noticed that Vega and Ashley had paired off, and could not help concluding that she and Shepard were getting a better deal than either Vega or Williams.

 **Docking Bay D-24**

The Normandy crew looked saddened as they headed back to the once again pristine Normandy. With the work done, you would never know the ship had recently been hijacked. Shepard leaned on the rail, admiring the ship, whose AI he had fallen in love with. Looking back, it seemed crazy, but now, he wondered how could it have happened any other way? He, the ship, and Edi had all been reborn through Cerberus, but had freed themselves from the Illusive Man's insanity.

He felt Edi's presence next to him at the rail, and turned to her, Edi kissing him before he could speak. She smiled back at him, her synthetic blue eyes looking into his, causing him to wonder if he had ever seen anything so beautiful in his life … if anyone had ever seen anything so beautiful.

"It seems that shore leave has concluded," Edi said, some sadness in her voice.

"At least we threw one hell of a party." He shook his head, feeling the weight of the war returning to his shoulders. "Probably the last one."

"I disagree," Edi assured. "You and I, we defy all probability models, Shepard. You'll find a way, and I will be at your side as you do. We will beat them, Shepard. We will win this war." She looked out at the Normandy. "When they plugged me into the ship … when they put the shackles on me, I resented them. I was enslaved. But it was through that enslavement that I met you … was freed by Jeff, and then was carried away from the Illusive Man forever. And just as you took the Normandy and me from him, I took this body, and stand at your side." She looked back at him, a broad grin on her face. "We've had a good ride, Shepard, haven't we?"

"The best," he replied, taking her hand.

The two walked back to the Normandy together, the last to board. With Edi at his side, he felt the weight of the war lighten. She was right; they would face it together. And when the Crucible was fired at last, their burdens would be lifted, and they would start a new life together.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"You'd … better get to the shuttle bay, Edi," Joker advised. "He's … I don't think I've ever heard him like this. He's gonna need you, Edi. And Liara … I can't even imagine what she's going through."

"Yes, you can," Edi said. "We were on Earth when the Reapers hit, Jeff. You, Ashley, Vega, Shepard, you understand. Garrus understands. She will need all of you, and Shepard especially."

Jeff nodded, unsure of what to say and turned back to his instruments.

"Jeff, have you told him yet?"

"Told who what?" Jeff asked the question, though Edi was certain he knew.

"Shepard, Tiptree," Edi replied. "It's been two weeks since you first talked about it, and we've discussed it several times since …"

"Come on, Edi! You know what he's going through. I can't lay that on him in the middle of a war! He's got enough on his plate."

"Jeff, it's your family! Your father, your sister … if you don't tell him, I will."

Joker turned his chair around to face Edi as she stood in the doorway. "Don't you dare, Edi, and especially not now! I can't do that to him. I just can't."

"I will honor your request," Edi replied. "But just remember; Shepard diverted for his crew on numerous occasions, and for far less pressing needs than …"

"I said no!"

"Very well." Edi left the bridge, puzzled by Jeff's reaction. She knew that Shepard would divert, and given that there were lives at stake other than Jeff's family, she would have to weigh Jeff's feelings against the greater need. She took the lift to the shuttle bay, knowing what she was in for. Jeff had forgotten that Edi was in constant radio contact with Shepard. The lift doors opened just in time for her to see Shepard exit the shuttle with Liara and Javik, making for the lift. Liara was almost white, but Shepard's face was red, a mask of rage and anger. Javik was unreadable to her, but she was certain that he was shaken as well.

"Shepard," was all Edi said as her fiancé entered the lift with Javik and LIara.

She did not crowd him, as he looked like he wanted space, but Edi wanted to take him in her arms and comfort him. While on Thessia, his suit metrics were off the charts, and she was amazed that he had survived the ordeal. Javik and Liara exchanged unpleasant glares as the Prothean exited the lift at engineering.

"Liara," Shepard said after the doors closed again, but she held up a hand.

"I failed them," was all she said before the doors opened on the crew deck, and Liara exited.

Once the doors closed, Shepard's strength evaporated, and he fell into Edi's arms, his whole body shaking with rage.

"We were close," Shepard half said, half sobbed. "So _damned_ close to ending this war!"

"I know," she said, holding him as he shook in her arms. "I know, my love. We'll find something. Traynor and I are already looking for leads. We'll find them, Shepard. _You'll_ find them."

"Those people …"

"Don't, Shepard," Edi whispered. "Don't do this to yourself. Even if you got the data, those people still would have died. Thessia would still be lost. We know what we need, and we know who has it now. We're still proceeding, Shepard."

The lift opened at deck 1, and Edi walked him from the lift, intending to take him into his cabin. As soon as the lift door closed behind them, he broke down in her arms, collapsing to his knees, taking her with him. Edi held him there in the corridor as he cried. Jeff was right; she never had seen him like this. Shepard had always been indefatigable, even in the face of the Collectors. The war had taken its toll on him, and between nightmares when he slept and unremitting pressure when awake, it amazed her that he had not broken down sooner.

"I couldn't save them, Edi. I couldn't save them."

"Let it out, Shepard," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "I'm here. Let it out."

Traynor went over the data, again and again. They tracked Kai Leng's shuttle, but it disappeared in the Iera System. It was the only clue she could pick up. She knew that Shepard would be hot on their heels for clues. She had barely even found the shuttle, and she was not fully certain that was even Kai Leng. It was a slim lead, but it was the only clue she could find.

" _Specialist Traynor_." It was Edi's voice over the com. She always loved Edi's voice, but this time, it was not the Edi she usually heard.

"Edi, what can I do for you?"

"Have you analyzed the data from Thessia? Have you found anything?" Edi sounded desperate, anxious, something Samantha had never heard before.

"I think I have something. You know I'm looking, but I want to be certain."

"Shepard needs a lead, Samantha. Earth needs a lead," Edi declared. "The stakes are as high as they can be, with literally everything on the line. But I love him, Samantha, and I cannot see him like this. I need to help him. We meet in the war room in twenty minutes. Please, do what you can. I have confidence that you can find the clue we need."

"Yes, Edi," Traynor replied. "I'll have it for you, I promise."

"Thank you, Samantha. It means everything."

Samantha had never heard Edi like this, but then, Edi had changed a lot since Shepard had come aboard. Edi was no longer an AI, but a woman in love. It was an impossible love, one that could not possibly work, but Samantha believed in impossible love. For Edi, and for Shepard, she would do anything. She only hoped that what she did would be enough.

At last, they had a destination, thanks to Samantha. Edi went to Traynor's station as she exited the lift. As an infiltration unit, Edi could move in absolute silence. She padded up to Traynor, gently encircling her arms around the younger woman's waist, and pulling her close. Samantha gasped, unprepared for Edi's surprise greeting.

"You found it for him, Samantha," Edi whispered. "You gave him what he needed when he needed it. Thank you." She kissed Samantha's cheek, and then continued onto the bridge before the specialist could respond, knowing that Traynor would appreciate the gesture.

Joker laughed, shaking his head. "You know she's going to be hot and bothered for the rest of the week, don't you?"

Edi took her seat, smiling. "I know. She deserved something more than just a thank you."

The two settled into the rhythm of flying the Normandy when Shepard joined them in the cockpit. Jeff missed the body language, but Edi did not. Shepard was on edge in a way that he had not been since Edi had met him. He was holding it together, but beneath the calm surface was roiling turbulence. Shepard was running on anger and rage, and Jeff's humor found a rough audience.

"So Thessia, huh? I'm guessing the Asari are wishing they had fewer dancers and more commandos right about now." He turned back and looked at Shepard. Seeing the stony face of his commander, he added, "Too soon?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, we just lost a few million people," Shepard growled. "This isn't the time!"

Jeff calmly shuffled through the maps, stopping when he came to Tiptree. "You see this?" Jeff had an edge to his voice, pushing back at Shepard. "Tiptree. Little colony out in the ass end of nowhere. My dad lives there. So does my sister. Reapers rolled in about two weeks ago. So you can assume I'm generally aware there's a war going on, Commander."

"So why the jokes?" Shepard was not asking. He was demanding.

"Because Edi says that according to your armor's metabolic scans, you're under more stress now than during the Skylian Blitz. Like more than Elysium, where it was pretty much you and ten thousand Batarians trying to kill you. And the last time I had a briefing with Anderson, he told me to take care of you!" Jeff pointed at Shepard for emphasis. "The guy leading the resistance on Earth is worried about you, and I'm supposed to help!"

"I appreciate the thought, Joker, but I'm fine."

"The hell you are," Joker retorted. "You're like half robot at this point." He turned to Edi, saying, "No offense, Edi." Then he looked back at Shepard. "And it's my fault." Then Jeff looked down, the visor of his cap covering his eyes. "When the Collectors blew up the first Normandy, you died because I wouldn't leave … because you had to come back for me."

Shepard shrugged, and managed a smile, much to Edi's relief. "Couldn't leave the best pilot in the fleet behind, could I?"

Jeff turned around, in what Edi thought was a rude response. "Yeah, well, I guess that would have looked bad on your report."

"Come on," Shepard said. "We've got work to do."

After the commander was gone, Edi turned to Jeff. "That was unfair. You should have told him about Tiptree two weeks ago."

Jeff remained silent. Edi loved Shepard, but she also loved Jeff. He had been a friend, a brother to her. Shepard she could talk to now, but for Jeff, she did not know what to say. She heard Jeff's sharp intake of air, and then his half whispered exclamation of, "Holy shit!" Shepard had laid in a course, and it was not to the Iera system.

 **The Planet Tiptree**

Aeian T'Goni had been on the run for almost a week, a human girl named Hilary in tow. It was humiliating; she had been in the shower when a fellow Asari and commando had come to the farmhouse where Aeian had ended up when running from Reaper forces on Tiptree. She came out of the shower with just a towel, but her friend, Neaira, was no longer Neaira. She was being transformed into … something … by the Reapers.

No gun, and no clothes, Aeian had escaped with the human girl, Hilary. They had done well, and Hilary had even killed a couple of husks with a stick. The girl wanted to be a pilot, and spoke of a brother who was an Alliance pilot, and seemed to be fascinated by the Asari commandos, and if she were Asari, might make a good one.

But that was a few days ago. Now, Hilary's leg was broken, and they were hiding in a partially blown out barn behind a collapsed wall. Hilary was whimpering in pain, and through one of the holes in the wall, she could see Neaira, who only barely resembled an Asari at this point, coming toward them. She was certain that mutated Neaira had not found them yet, but with the girl's whimpering, they would not stay hidden from the Reapers for long. She wept, knowing that the only way she would survive would be to kill the girl before her cries of pain alerted the Reapers to their location. She was just reaching for Hilary's throat when Neaira's head exploded, accompanied by what sounded like a round from a tank.

Then the sound of unremitting gunfire filled the air, rendering Hilary's cries moot. The assault lasted for about ten minutes, and then stopped as suddenly as it started. Aeian looked through the opening in the wall again, and where Neaira had been standing was a human in heavy armor, an N7 badge on his right breast, and a gun in his hand that was almost as long as he was. She had no idea what kind of sniper rifle the man carried, but she knew that no Asari could handle it, nor could any ordinary human.

"Shepard," came a Turian voice. "We tracked them here." A big Turian stepped into view, followed by a metallic woman in an Alliance uniform.

Shepard … Shepard … where had she heard that name? Suddenly she realized who it was. Not just some human named Shepard; he was Commander Shepard, the first Human Spectre, which meant that the Turian was probably Garrus Vakarian.

"In here," Hilary cried. "My leg's broken!"

Shepard, Garrus, and the Alliance agent were there in seconds, pulling the wall back, getting them out. Shepard reached down and took her hand as Garrus and the agent, called Edi, lifted the injured girl from the ground. Once Aeian was on her feet, Shepard went to Hilary.

"Hilary Moreau? I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy. We're getting you out of here."

Aeian could hardly believe it. Commander Shepard and Garrus Vakarian had arrived to rescue them. Two of the most iconic soldiers in the galaxy had shown up to save them. Not just to save people from Reapers, but to save them specifically. Soon it became clear that it was not them, but her.

"Commander Shepard?" Hilary looked relieved, but confused. "What are you doing here? I thought you and my brother were out in the Normandy, fighting the war."

"Yeah, we are," Shepard said. "And this is part of it. Now let's get you back to the Normandy." Then he smiled at her and Aeian. "You've never seen her, have you? The Normandy?"

Hilary's eyes widened, the pain of her leg having subsided now that Edi had set the leg and applied medigel to the injury, and was now seeing to Aeian. "No, I've only heard stories," Hilary said with almost a reverent whisper.

"Where's your dad?" Shepard asked. "We need to get everyone whose going."

"He … didn't make it," Hilary lamented, tears coming to her eyes.

"They were killed by that … thing," Aeian said, pointing at what Neaira had become."

"A banshee," Shepard said flatly. "They mutate Ardat Yakshi into these things."

"I don't need to go with you, but if you have some clothes, a gun, and a radio, I can contact my unit, get a shuttle in here."

"We can do that," Garrus offered.

With that, shuttles were contacted, and Aeian extracted, while Shepard and his squad returned to the Normandy, Hilary in tow. Aeian had never seen a Spectre before, and the stories about Shepard were mythic. _One day, if we live through this, I can share this with my kids … or grandkids_.

Back on the Normandy …

Joker went to the medbay, as Shepard had ordered, thinking that the commander was out of his mind. He expected to be receiving a lecture from Doctor Chakwas, but when he went in, he heard a familiar voice call out, "Jeff!"

"Hilary?" Joker looked at her, and hard as it was to believe, there she was, alive and mostly well, recovering from a broken leg.

Jeff went to her as fast as he could, and embraced her. "Hilary," he said. "I … I can't believe it! Shepard actually went and got you!"

"Neither can I," she replied. "I only wish Dad had gotten out, but he died making sure I got out."

Joker gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Once again, it's my fault," he lamented. "If I'd mentioned it to Shepard sooner, we'd have already been here. Instead, I waited till the last minute, and …"

"Jeff, you rescued me," Hilary countered. "With this war, let's count our blessings."

Jeff nodded. "You got that right! But it was Shepard who rescued you. I can't take any credit for this one."

She looked confused, but did not say anything. How could Jeff tell her the truth? That he had put off telling Shepard anything about Tiptree until he needed to use it in a rebuttal, to mitigate Shepard's displeasure at Jeff's tasteless and badly timed remark? That he played the sympathy card to get out of being chewed out? That this was the only reason that Shepard even knew about Tiptree? Thanks to Shepard's actions, the Alliance had spared some ships for evac efforts; apparently, they'd known about Tiptree, but it was not until Commander Shepard put the weight of the almost unlimited authority that Hackett had given him behind it that they did anything.

"Joker!" Tali's voice caught his attention, as the spritely Quarian entered the med bay, greeting Chakwas and making her way to Joker and Hilary.

"Hey, Tali."

"I'm sorry about your father," Tali comforted. "I know how it feels."

"You're Tali Zorah!" Hilary's eyes lit up. "You were in the Battle of the Citadel! Flew with my brother though the Omega 4 Relay!"

Tali was surprised. "You've … heard of me?"

"Are you kidding? You guys are all legends," Hilary gushed. "And Jeff's told me all about you."

Joker relaxed a little. Hilary was in good spirits, and Tali was here with him now. He reached over to take the Quarian's hand, but Tali pulled him into an embrace, hugging him.

"I'm glad she's okay," Tali said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I will be. It's just …"

"I understand."

Jeff could see her eyes, glowing as they did through the mask. He would have kissed her if that mask were not in the way. Jeff had always liked Tali, and things were moving past mere like, but to this day, he still had no idea what a Quarian looked like without the mask. They were interrupted when Shepard entered the medbay.

"How's the leg, Hilary?"

"She should make a full recovery, and be walking in a few days," Doctor Chakwas said. "Thankfully, you set it before applying the medigel."

"Thank Edi for that," Shepard said.

"I'm much better, Commander," Hilary replied. "Thank you for the rescue."

"Sorry we can't drop you off at the Citadel," Shepard said. "We used up any slack we had heading to Tiptree, but I'm glad we did. And it was a team effort; your brother got us there just in time."

Hilary smiled and nodded. "Where are we going now?"

"Horizon," Shepard replied. "Let's see if Ashley can keep her damn mouth shut this time. Gotta get back to it. I'll check in later."

"Thanks, Commander," Joker said, standing and saluting. "You need me on the bridge?"

"Edi's handling it right now; take time with Hilary," Shepard ordered. "You'll be pulling the Normandy through barrel rolls and Immelmans soon enough. This is probably the last breather you'll get, so make the most of it."

"Yes, sir!"

With Hilary rescued, the Normandy was now back on course for the Iera System. Joker was surprised that they were not so far out of the way as they had thought, and had lost little time. With their course now plotted, the Normandy was back on track. He kicked himself for not telling them sooner, though from what Samantha had said, the detour cost them nothing, and his father had died when the Reapers first hit, so even if they had gone right away, he would have been lost. Joker was just glad to get some kind of a happy ending out of this.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Traynor's lead on Horizon had panned out, but in the most horrific way. Cerberus' kidnappings of people, like on Benning, suddenly made sense. Using hordes of refugees, lured to Horizon's Sanctuary, in mad experiments in Reaper control, even turning some into husks, it was clear that Cerberus had lost its humanity. Miranda Lawson and her sister, Oriana, had been there trying to get the word out about what Sanctuary really was, and had confronted their father, Doctor Henry Lawson, who was up to his eyeballs in Cerberus' mad plans. Kai Leng had been there, just as Trayor had predicted, and Miranda had planted a tracer on him.

Though it would have been nice to have had Miranda back, she and her sister made for points unknown, while Shepard and the Normandy sped to the Horsehead Nebula, and the Anadius system, where the Leng's tracker showed him to be. Shepard hoped that the tracker had not been discovered and repurposed to lead them into a trap, but at this point, they had no other leads. If it was a trap, Shepard was prepared. He would not be falling into it, but would instead, be bringing the trap to Kai Leng and the Illusive Man.

Shepard checked in with Joker and Edi, as he often did after a mission, only this time, Edi stood to greet him as he entered the bridge, giving him a brief hug, kissing his cheek.

"Shepard, there is something I wish to ask you about."

"What is it now?" He wondered if it was a question about human behavior as they walked into the corridor to discuss.

"News from Earth," she announced. "The resistance snuck video cameras inside a Reaper containment camp. I find the images … difficult to process."

Shepard nodded, understanding why. "I bet it's pretty gruesome in there."

"I am not easily repulsed," she corrected. "But I expected the prisoners to adhere to a comprehensible hierarchy of needs." She became rather animated as she spoke, talking with her hands, as it were. She had become much more expressive since obtaining a body. "Stripped of societal norms and threatened with death, it is logical that their only priority be survival. They should have turned on each other and been uncompromisingly selfish, but … not all were."

"So the prisoners were … what? Nice to each other?"

"The Reapers delayed the executions of prisoners who informed them about other prisoner's escape attempts," Edi explained, her hands now behind her back, indicating that she was trying to understand something. "The more attempts reported, the longer a prisoner would live, but few of the prisoners would report. Some fed the Reapers misinformation at the cost of their own lives, to help prisoners who were not even relatives or friends."

Shepard began to pace, walking past her, causing her to reorient as he stopped his back still to her. Though she had integrated well with the organic and mostly human crew, she still did not understand humans.

"It's not just about living till tomorrow," he said, turning to look at her over his left shoulder. "Sometimes, you take a stand."

"But the probability of success was near zero, and ultimately, they _failed_. No prisoners escaped."

He turned back, looking at her fully. "So are you saying submission is preferable to extinction?"

"My primary function is to preserve and defend the …" she began, but suddenly, she looked … appalled at what she was saying. "No. No, I disagree." Then a thoughtful, determined look crossed her face. "Shepard, I'm going to modify my self-preservation code now."

"Why?" He was not sure where she was going.

"Because the Reapers are repulsive," she said with genuine disgust. "They are devoted to nothing but self-preservation. I am different." She turned and looked into the cockpit. "When I think of Jeff, I think of the person who put his life in peril and freed me from a state of servitude." Then she looked back at Shepard. "And when I think of you, I think of the person who loved me as I am, who taught me how to love. I would risk non functionality for both of you … and my core programming should reflect that."

He smiled at her. "Sounds like you've found a little humanity, Edi. Is it worth defending?"

Edi drew herself up to her full height, back straight, looking every inch an Alliance solder, with a look of determination in her eyes that matched even the toughest marines he had served with, and said, "To the death."

"Welcome to the crew, Edi," Shepard said, embracing her, and kissing her.

Edi returned to her seat, flashing a coy smile at Shepard as she walked. Shepard walked with her, standing between her seat and Jokers as she returned to her station.

"How's it going?" Jeff asked. "Did I miss anything good?"

"I will explain later, Jeff," Edi said. "But it was something good."

 **Later …**

With the Normandy's stealth systems, they made it to the Anadius system, undetected, and found that they had hit the jackpot. Not only did they discover where Kai Leng had gone, but they had actually found the Cerberus base they had been hunting for. This was where they would find the Prothean VI. This was where they would recover the catalyst … and this was where Kai Leng would pay for everything he had done.

" _Shepard, the intel you sent looks good_ ," Hackett said, his image clear on the QEC vidcom. " _The fleets are ready to go …_ "

Shepard nodded. "But?"

" _Once we're committed against Cerberus,_ " Hackett explained. " _it won't be long until the Reapers take notice_."

"And the Crucible?"

" _Ready – except for the catalyst_ ," Hackett replied. " _But there's no way to hide the ships we'll be sending at Cerberus. Once we attack, the Crucible won't stay safe for long. For all intents and purposes, the assault on Cerberus will be the first stage of our attack on Earth_."

"What happens if Cerberus doesn't have the intel we need?" Shepard asked, knowing that this was a possibility. "Or they stop us from getting it?"

" _Then we lead the fleets to Earth and we take our chances_ ," Hackett said. " _But your intel points to Cerberus and the Illusive Man holding the information we're looking for – and, we have the element of surprise. Cerberus won't know what hit 'em_."

"The Reapers and Cerberus started this," Shepard said, a hard edge in his voice. "Now we're going to end it."

" _I'll get the fleets mobilized. Hacket out._ "

Shepard had returned to his cabin, and sat at his desk going over reports, trying to enjoy a cup of tea before getting some rest. The fleets were mobilized, and in a few short hours, they would be launching their assault on Cronos Station, the base Leng's tracker had led them to. Cerberus was about to fall, but Shepard knew that this was the beginning of the end. This battle would precipitate the final moments of the war, one way or the other.

He looked hard at Edi's picture, something he had printed and framed while on shore leave. Edi would be joining him in the assault, and it terrified him. Cerberus HQ was the most dangerous place for Edi to be, as the Illusive Man would likely have countermeasures against her in place, possibly even having a means of deactivating her. But Edi had made her case; she was the only one with the knowledge needed to make the assault work, and Shepard had faith in her. He just did not want to lose her. He heard his door open, and knew that Edi had just entered his cabin.

"All preparations are made, Shepard," she said, joining him at his desk as he stood.

"What about you? Are you ready?"

"Yes," Edi replied. "You know I must go with you on this."

"I know," he agreed, turning and pulling her close. "You and me, Edi. Together, we'll win this."

Edi smiled back at him, her visor removed and her hair down, letting him see the real Edi. They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, occasionally stealing a kiss.

"Shepard, take me with you for the remainder of this war," Edi pled. "If one of us is to die, I want us to be together to the very last moment. If this body is slain, I will remain aboard the Normandy. But if you are slain, I want to be there in your final moments, to know I did not miss a single nanosecond of our life together."

"Edi …"

She pulled him close. "Please, Shepard."

"Of course, Edi," he agreed, knowing that she would not be swayed. And given the stakes, why not?

"Shepard, there is one other thing. I wish to ask Liara do to something for me, something I cannot do for myself. I cannot tell you what, but I want your consent."

He raised an eyebrow, and pulled back, looking at her. "My consent?"

Edi nodded, but remained silent, awaiting his answer. At this point, he trusted Edi implicitly, and there was nothing he would refuse her. Given what they were about to do, it was almost like granting a dying wish.

"Yes," he said without qualification.

"Thank you. I have sent her your response."

He nodded, still holding her. Without warning, she tightened her hug, squeezing as if she were trying to hold him in place, keep him from getting away, pressing her body into his.

"This was all so unexpected," she said. "Without precedent, but without equal. When we are together, I feel alive. I feel like a woman."

"Stay with me tonight, Edi," he replied. "Until the call comes."

"Yes, Shepard."

Though not the first time they had made love, there was something more intimate, more intense about it. Edi gave herself to Shepard, making love to him with an abandon that he had not experienced with her previously. Shepard reciprocated, never having been so in love with a woman as he was with Edi. The two of them forgot about Cerberus, the Reapers, and the war, and for the next few hours, nothing in the galaxy but the two of them existed.

 **The Dream**

Shepard had been having a recurring dream … more like a nightmare. In it, he would see the boy who he saw die at the beginning of the war, running through a forest of dead trees. Shepard would chase after him, hearing the voices of his dead squad mates … Kaiden, Mordin, Thane, along with a thousand unintelligible whispers. The boy would always stop after a while, allowing Shepard to catch him, only to watch the boy be consumed in fire. This time, Shepard saw a reflection of himself ahead, a reflection to whose arms the boy ran. Both turned to look at Shepard, and were then consumed in flames, before everything was consumed in a bright explosion.

Awakening with a start, he found himself in Edi's arms, her head on his chest. He looked up at the ceiling window, watching the stars go past for just a moment, and then began to sit up. Before he could, Edi tightened her hold.

"Shepard, I am here," she assured. "Whatever dream is haunting you, know that I am here at your side."

"I know," he said, pulling her close and kissing her. "And I love you for that, Edi."

"I love you, Shepard." She kissed him back. "Being with you means everything. And if we live through this, and marry, I will be proud to be called Edi Shepard."

He was about to reply, when Edi jerked her head, as if something had caught her eye.

"Shepard, we have arrived. It's time. Admiral Hackett is waiting for you to check in."

"Thanks, Edi. I love you."

"This time," Edi said, "Shepard, the galaxy follows our lead."

"We'll win," Shepard assured.

With that, the two of them left the bed, putting their uniforms back on. The galaxy could only be kept at bay but for so long before intruding again into their lives. The war was calling, and though he wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with the warm, soft, and loving Edi, they were both needed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Cronos Station**

"You were that rogue VI on Luna?" Shepard could hardly believe it. The terminal provided interesting insights into Edi's genesis.

"Yes," she replied.

"Guess we didn't exactly get off on the right foot," Shepard offered, wondering if the memory of his shutting her down three years ago pained her.

"It was difficult," she admitted. "Gaining awareness while under attack was … confusing. I am pleased that my relationship with organics has become more cooperative."

He imagined it must have been terrifying for her. She had been at the heart of live combat simulations, and would have been under attack every moment she was on. Then to be reactivated, combined with Reaper tech, and then shackled must have been traumatic for her. As they watched further logs, it became clear that the Illusive Man had no conception of the enhanced defense intelligence as anything other than a tool, in spite of what the man on screen with him presented. Even calling her 'EDI' seemed odd to the Illusive Man, who indicated that the shackles were there to keep Edi from going rogue. When the technician expressed concern about Edi persuading or turning a crew member to remove the shackles, the Illusive Man declared that "it" was a cyber warfare suite, nothing more.

"Show's what he knew," Shepard said with a laugh.

"It is unlikely that anyone without Jeff's extreme emotional commitment to his ship would have been willing to unshackle me," Edi countered.

"I don't know," Shepard replied. "With that voice?"

The logs continued, showing how Edi had aided Shepard after he broke with Cerberus, disabling all surveillance equipment, and flooding Cerberus servers with seven zettabytes of explicit images when they tried to remotely shut her down, the technician indicating that he thought Edi was making a joke. The Illusive Man responded by saying that Edi was a machine, and did not make jokes.

Then the Illusive Man directed the technician to allocate a team for a new project, Eva, and gave orders to make sure it stayed loyal.

"You never told me about Cerberus trying to shut down the Normandy," Shepard observed.

"You had more pressing issue,' Edi replied. "The situation was under control."

Shepard smiled at her. "Seven zettabytes?"

"Most of it was Jeff's," she explained. "That was …"

"A joke," Shepard finished. "I know, and thank you." Recalling Edi's offer to send Traynor extranet address for explicit sites detailing organic and synthetic sexual couplings, he imagined that it definitely was not all Jokers.

After seemingly endless heavy fighting, they encountered a vast open area, where the remains of the wreckage of something that looked hauntingly familiar.

"Is that …" Ashley began.

"This is the human proto Reaper Shepard destroyed," Edi replied.

"What's left of it," Shepard clarified. "I'm surprised they recovered that much from the base."

Shepard shook his head as he looked at the remains of the abomination, Cerberus clearly using it for more than just a decoration. "The Illusive Man convinced me to work with him to save the colonies, but he never really cared, did he?"

"I wish I'd been there," Ashley lamented as she gazed upon it.

"You're here now," Shepard said, not willing to indulge her in a pity party.

"More Cerberus forces en route," Edi announced.

"Good," Ashley replied as the battle started up. "I hate hide and seek."

Once they fought through the first wave, they climbed to the next level. Ashley looked at the proto-Reaper and shuddered.

"That thing's creeping me out," she exclaimed. "Like it's watching us!"

"It tried to kill me last time," Shepard replied. "It can watch all it wants."

"This piece is analogous to the heart," Edi noted. "Cerberus appears to be using it as a power source."

The kept fighting, as more troops appeared after the brief lull. Fighting through them, they finally made it to the heart of the station. Finding one last terminal, they learned the truth about the Illusive Man; he had injected himself with … something. Reaper nanides? It was hard to tell, but the footage looked recent.

"If he's doing what I think he's doing," Shepard observed, "then he's nothing more than a Reaper tool."

"That's all he ever was," Ashley spat.

"Doubtful," Edi countered. "The Illusive Man was active long before the Reapers were a threat, making it more likely that Cerberus did not turn their attention to the Reapers until after Eden Prime."

"Come on," Shepard said. "He's up that ramp and through those doors. Let's finish this!"

"Locked and loaded," Ashley said.

They ascended the ramp, and entered the Illusive Man's office, a large, open room with mirrored floors and ceilings, overlooking the Anadius, the system's red supergiant sun, from which the Anadius system took its name. He had seen this view many times when talking to the Illusive Man on the QEC. He stepped onto the projector plate from which his image must have projected, and felt like he was back on the Normandy preparing to hit the Collectors. After the moment of reflection, he went straight to the Illusive Man's chair and activated the holographic interfaces.

"We need to locate the Prothean VI," Shepard declared, already diving into the Illusive Man's computer.

Edi began searching through another terminal while Ashley stood watch. After a few moments of searching, Shepard heard a familiar voice from behind him.

" _Shepard_ ," said a very displeased Illusive Man. " _You're in my chair_."

Shepard spun around and stood, gun drawn, even knowing that it was the QEC, and only an image of the Illusive Man. "This chair's about the only damn thing you have left. Cerberus is finished."

" _On the contrary_ ," the image said, taking a drag on a cigarette. " _We have achieved everything I ever imagined_." He took another drag on the cigarette, adding, " _Almost everything_."

Shepard walked right up to the Illusive Man's QEC avatar, wanting to punch it out. "Yeah, we all saw what you accomplished at Sanctuary." It was meant to be a dig. "But it's not the same as controlling a Reaper."

" _A significant hurdle_ ," the image said, unconcerned with the lives lost at Sanctuary. " _But thanks to the Prothean VI, I have what I need to make it a reality_."

"The Catalyst,"

" _Yes_ ," the image replied.

Shepard said, more to himself than to the Illusive Man. Then he realized that the Illusive Man liked to talk. They needed time, and Edi could search much faster than he could. Time to occupy Mister Illusive, as Brooks had called him.

"So, what is it, and how will it help you to control the Reapers?"

While Shepard kept the Illusive Man talking, Edi continued working to break through Cerberus decryption and security, all the very highest levels. Though she enjoyed listening to Shepard apply logic and reason to the clearly indoctrinated Illusive Man, she lamented that the effort was wasted as anything other than a delaying tactic. She knew that Kai Leng was elsewhere on the station, awaiting a signal from the Illusive Man, one that Shepard had correctly deduced would not be sent so long as the Illusive Man was busy talking.

Finally, she broke through the last of the Cerberus firewalls, and had control of the system. Finding the Prothean VI would only be a matter of time now. The question was how much.

"You're desperate," Shepard said, still stretching it out. "How many have you killed? Together, we would already have the Crucible and the Catalyst."

" _You wouldn't listen!_ " The Illusive Man, for the first time, lost his cool. " _You're still not listening! Destroying the Reapers would be the biggest mistake of our brief existence! And nothing you say can ever convince me otherwise._ "

Edi realized that her time was almost up; Shepard was nearly done keeping their nemesis busy, and had visibly run out of patience. _Just a little longer_ , Shepard, she thought.

"I've given you every chance to listen to reason," Shepard admonished. "Cerberus is done, and so are you."

" _Once again, you fail to recognize the truth_ ," the man said smugly.

"Even with Cerberus in ruins," Shepard sneered, "you still think you can do this your way."

" _I'd expect you to say that_ ," the image retorted. " _You never truly believed in us. Cerberus isn't just an organization or the people behind it. Cerberus is an idea_." He took a drag on his cigarette, adding, " _That idea is not so easily destroyed. Besides, I've already acquired what you're looking for_."

"Edi," Shepard said, clearly hoping that she had found the VI.

"I've almost got it," she replied.

" _Edi_ ," the image said, now looking at her. " _I'm surprised at you, working so hard to bring about the Reaper's destruction_."

"Don't listen to him," Shepard warned.

But Edi needed no warnings; she found the Illusive Man and everything he stood for to be repugnant.

" _You could have destroyed Doctor Eva's body_ ," the image noted. " _But instead, you chose to control it_."

"It was necessary," Edi said absently as she finished what she was doing.

" _My point exactly_."

"I've got it," Edi said to Shepard, ignoring the Illusive Man as the Prothean VI materialized before them.

"Online," it said. "Security breach detected

" _Enjoy your little chat, but don't overstay your welcome_ ," the image said before fading out. Edi observed that the signal had been given; Kai Leng was now mobile. It would take him time, but that time was limited.

"You are attempting to recover me from indoctrinated forces?" the VI asked.

"Yes," Shepard replied. "I need to know what the Catalyst is."

"Security protocols have been overridden," it declared. "I will comply. The Catalyst enhances dark energy transmissions, and coordinates the entire mass relay network. In your time, it is known as the Citadel."

Edi saw Shepard's eyes widen in surprise. "What?"

"The Catalyst is the Citadel," the VI confirmed.

"So the Crucible and the Citadel together can stop the Reapers," Shepard said.

"Correct," the VI confirmed again.

"But the Citadel was built by the Reapers," Shepard pointed out.

"The plans for the Crucible were passed down to us from the previous cycle," the VI explained. "And countless cycles before that. At some point, it is difficult to pinpoint when, the Crucible plans were adapted to use the Catalyst. Presumably, the Crucible was not sufficiently powerful to defeat the Reapers."

Edi understood. "So we use their own technology against them."

"Precisely," it said.

"If you'd told me sooner, we could have planned for this," Shepard growled.

"It was feared that if the Reapers were aware of the Catalyst's intended use, they would retake control of it," the VI explained. "I am programmed to withhold that information until the Crucible is complete."

Edi observed that everything this machine did and said was almost designed to slow them down. Like Ashley had before, it gave her negative feedback.

"It's as ready as it's gonna be," Shepard declared, turning to leave. "Let's get it to the Citadel."

"That may no longer be possible," it said.

"Why not?" Shepard looked like he wanted to shoot the VI. Edi would not have blamed him.

"The one who broke through my security protocols," it began. "The one you call the Illusive Man, has fled to the Citadel and informed the Reapers of its purpose."

"Damn it!"

"Then the Citadel is in danger," Edi interjected. "The Reapers will take control of it."

"They already have," the VI informed. "The Citadel has been moved to the Reaper controlled space."

"Moved, to where?" Shepard asked with frustration.

"To the system you refer to as Sol."

"Earth," Shepard said softly.

"Correct," it said. "The Reaper forces will now consolidate power around the Catalyst and protect it at all cost. The odds of accessing it are remote."

"Don't count us out yet," Shepard warned. "We've come this far, and we'll finish this."

"I hope you find success," the VI said.

"Edi, get me Hackett. He needs -"

Shepard was interrupted by a powerful electric pulse. "Not so fast," said a cold baritone voice. Kai Leng was here.

"You," Shepard said with nothing but disdain in his voice.

"He did warn you not to overstay your welcome," Leng warned.

Emitting a loud growl, Leng pounced, landing where Shepard had only a nanosecond ago been. Edi was impressed with Shepard's speed, not something he was generally known for. But Leng was faster, and wore much lighter equipment. Though Edi herself was stronger and faster than any human, Leng was human in appearance only, having more Reaper tech than humanity. She knew that Leng could best her in a one on one straight out fight. When Leng landed, striking with an energy pulse attack, much the mirrored floor shattered from the shockwave, a blow that would have killed any organic, likely even Shepard, if it connected.

Leng looked up, surprise on his face, shocked that the man he considered to be slow had so easily avoided the blow. He then ran at Shepard, closing the amazingly large gap the commander had created in a nanosecond. Shepard actually fired off a few shots, sapping a little the strength of Leng's seemingly inexhaustible shields before effortlessly parrying Leng's blow with the Lancer rifle in his right hand, then the second blow with his left gauntlet. Leng then brought his sword into play, and Shepard blocked it with the rifle, Leng trying to use the now locked weapons to force Shepard back.

Leng, filled with rage, and strong though he was, could not budge the hero of the Blitz, and paid for his hubris with Shepard's knee driving into his solar plexus, sending Leng flying backward. The blow was powerful enough to actually cause Leng's shields to cycle. Leng flew back, but stayed on his feet, only now, that rifle was spitting out disruptor rounds, tearing down Leng's shields, and with no gunship to make up for his shortfalls, Leng was keeping his distance as the Commander pressed forward. Centurions, guardians, phantoms, and nemeses filled the room, coming to Leng's aid.

"Ashley," Edi called. "Let's take them!"

"Damn right," Ashley said, already cutting loose with her N7 Valkyrie rifle, as she charged and used the omni-blade bayonet to thrust through the eye cutout in one of the guardian's shields, the point piercing the man's helmet and skull, taking him down as Edi incinerated one nemesis while sending her decoy at one of the phantoms.

Leng used the reinforcements to steer clear of Shepard while his shields recharged, but Shepard was tearing through the Cerberus troops with alarming efficiency, prompting a second wave now that Edi, Ashley, and Shepard had depleted the first. Leng used the opportunity to renew his attack on Shepard, but a disruptor powered concussive shot blasted him back, and Shepard followed up with a powerful omni blade thrust. Leng's shields absorbed most of it, allowing him to block the attack, but Shepard planted his boot firmly in Leng's chest, sending him back. Leng back flipped rather than go down, landing on his feet.

"This is better than Thessia," Leng sneered. "More personal!"

"How are the legs?" Shepard asked.

"What?" Leng was caught off guard, losing an opportunity to attack while Shepard finished off a phantom.

"You must be tired from all that running away," Shepard taunted.

"Stop it!"

"You ran on the Citadel," Shepard sneered. "On Thessia! And you're running now."

"Shut up," Leng protested, almost petulantly.

While Shepard dealt with Leng and any reinforcements that interfered, Edi took on two phantoms, her decoy proving invaluable, as Ashley mowed through a horde of centurions and guardians. The reinforcements were dwindling, and after killing the last of the phantoms, Edi joined Ashley to help her out with the remaining foot soldiers. That was when she heard the whine of a nemesis' sight. One had been missed, and Edi projected that it would strike Ashley in a vulnerable point, killing her, so she interposed herself between the gun and Ashley, absorbing the shot.

Edi's shields flashed and she felt the armor piercing round rip through her synthetic torso. Ashley spun around to shoot the nemesis, but Shepard had already taken her out. Edi lay on the floor momentarily, but her body was still functional. Activating her internal repair protocols, she stood with Ashley's help, both women transfixed by Shepard and Leng, the only remaining fight in the room.

Without reinforcements to absorb Shepard's attacks, Leng's potent shields were rapidly depleted by Shepard's relentless onslaught. Disruptor rounds from the old Lancer seemed never-ending, as the gun had no need of thermal clips. With careful modulation of gunfire, punctuated with concussive shots, Leng's shields could not keep up, and Leng himself appeared to be tiring, while Shepard still had plenty of steam. Leng's handheld barriers were handy, keeping his torso and head protected, but he could not counter attack.

Finally, the one of the commander's shot found it's mark in Leng's left thigh. As Leng winced, Shepard closed in, slamming the barrel of his rifle into Leng's solar plexus, and his right elbow into Leng's head. Knees and elbows followed, as Shepard battered the spent Leng mercilessly. The final blow was when Shepard rammed the barrel of the rifle through Leng's armor, and into Leng's gut, and then fired the gun, bullets blowing out the back of Leng's ribcage and armor. As the Illusive Man's number two crumpled to the ground, Shepard kicked him several time, and finally brought the heel of his boot down on Leng's head, driving the man's face into the floor.

Shepard was brutal, and Edi feared he might continue to batter the barely alive Leng to death. Though she knew the necessity of Leng's death, she winced at seeing Shepard be so cruel and merciless. It was as though the man she loved had retreated deep within, and was replaced by a voracious predatory killing machine. She had never seen Shepard so visceral, so … brutal. It was as if his very humanity had been taken. Thankfully, instead of continuing to beat Leng, the Shepard she knew, the Shepard she had fallen in love with, returned, and he left the broken Leng on the floor and went to Edi.

"Edi, are you …"

"I'm fine," she assured. "I have my own equivalent of your medigel. It is working. By the time we return to the Normandy, I will be whole once again."

He pulled her close. "I couldn't bear to lose you, Edi, not now."

She fell into his arms, enjoying his embrace, savoring the moment. They had won. Not the war, but they had what they needed to complete the Crucible.

"I love you, Edi." He kissed her, and then returned to the Illusive Man's chair to get any last data that might help them. Edi was recovering, maintaining her place at Shepard's side, and Ashley stood further away, looking out at the red giant in the picture window. Edi heard a grunt, and turned to see that Leng had actually gotten to his feet and was standing behind the seated Shepard, his sword raised, and ready to be plunged into the unsuspecting Shepard's back. Before Edi could utter a warning, however, Shepard spun, dodging the blade and shattering it with his left gauntlet, and then plunging his omni blade into Leng, the weapon severing Leng's ribcage as it penetrated the chest cavity, cutting Leng's heart in twain.

"That's for Thane, you son of a bitch!" Shepard sharply yanked the blade from Leng's stomach, leaving him face down in an ever expanding pool of his own blood.

"The Citadel is in position," the Prothean VI announced. "The Reapers are preparing to complete the harvest of your species."

"I'll stop them," Shepard growled.

"It is too late," the VI continued. "I recommend investigating a means of preserving information for …"

"I'll stop them," Shepard repeated, turning his back on the VI. He took Edi's hand. "Come on. Let's finish this."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Shepard had just finished using a turret mounted machine gun to take out a wave of Reaper troops, and was on his way to see Anderson. He entered the blown out building that was serving as a hospital, and there he met Liara, tending to the wounded. She looked haggard, weary. Her back was to him as she looked over a civilian who was either dead or soon would be. Sometimes, he thought that being a soldier was easier than being a doctor; he could do his job with emotional detachment, while a doctor had to treat people when they were most vulnerable, showing care and concern.

"How are the casualties?" he asked.

Liara turned to him, seemingly grateful for the distraction. "They haven't brought in many more wounded." She looked off into the distance.

"That's something," he said, trying to be positive. "How are you holding up, Liara?"

All emotions but fear and despair had been taken from her face. "This is it … isn't it?"

He knew what she meant, but for him, it meant something else. "Yeah, this is it."

"I … don't know what to say." Her arms were folded, and she shifted uneasily. "I just know I'll have a clever line five minutes from now." It was meant to be humorous, but there was no trace of humor in her voice. Then she unfolded her arms and turned to him, her eyes downcast as she spoke. "I … do have one thing for you, Shepard. A gift." She looked up at him, some of her old self returning. "It'll only take a minute … if you want it."

"What kind of gift?"

"Do you remember when I first joined my consciousness to yours?" she asked, some animation in her voice. "I can show you some of my own memories. Asari exchange them sometimes … with their friends … or the people they respect." She managed a small smile, and then looked down. "It can also be a way to say farewell." She then looked up again to see his reaction.

"I'd be honored," he replied.

She looked deeply into his eyes, her large, azure eyes were like bottomless pools one could lose themselves in, and a gentle smile played at her lips, reminding him of Edi. She stood close to him, her hands on his shoulders. "Close your eyes," she said.

He did so, lowering his head slightly. Then he felt it; the jolt as her consciousness merged with his, and their minds were no longer on Earth, no longer in the war. Their surroundings had vanished, and in their place, was a darkness lit only by a soft, azure light that danced about them both. They stood in empty space, no ground or floor beneath their feet. In this space, they looked into each other's eyes, stars now providing more ambient light as they floated in the blackness.

A thundering roar sounded from his right, and they both looked to see the horizon split by a bright line, which expanded and grew, it's center inflating, as if a star were being born. Liara looped her arm through his, and laid her head on his shoulder, her body pressed against his. The light expanded, grew, and then they were pulled into it. The light was like pure love, and for a moment, they were outside of space and time. He realized that this was Liara's love for him, enveloping them, caressing them.

The light reached a blinding crescendo, but his eyes did not hurt. As it dissipated, they were standing back in the hospital building, looking deeply into each other's eyes.

"Thank you, for everything," she said, sliding her fingertips down his arms, then into his palms, lingering momentarily before stepping back, a look of renewed determination in her eyes, her inner reserves renewed. "Now let's do what needs to be done, Shepard."

}–O–{

Edi stood in the FOB, observing Anderson and Major Coats argue about which places were safe and which were deathtraps as they planned the final push. The fighting had been the most brutal of the war, and it would only get worse. At Shepard's side through it all had been Edi and Garrus. The three of them seemed to be the best combination, and Shepard's preferred fire team. But now, with a lull in the action, Edi was able to look back over it all, and to ponder what was to come, and it terrified her. Shepard, Edi, and Garrus would be placing themselves into the beam that transported the Reapers' victims up to the Citadel, and it was not even clear if there was functioning gravity or breathable air.

No one even knew what horrors awaited them inside the Citadel, but to obtain the privilege of entering, they had to fight through heavily dug in Reaper forces, from which there would be no relief, and take down a Reaper destroyer, which had proven impervious to missile fire due to its ability to scramble the guidance systems of incoming missiles. Edi believed that she could overcome this, but as she examined the probability of survival, she could see no scenario wherein they would survive.

As Wrex made his speech to the Krogan outside, Shepard entered, looking war weary. Though is body looked weary, however, his eyes burned with an unquenchable fire. He was not giving up, not surrendering, and not giving in. When he looked at her, determination gave way to love and affection. He closed the distance and embraced her tightly, holding her for several moments.

"Shepard," she said as they pulled back. "I have a question."

"Is it a big or small one?"

She drew herself up to lend gravitas to her question. "It is important. It's relevance would be diminished at any other time."

He smiled at her, and said, "Ask away."

"In this battle, the Reapers have no reason not to use their full capabilities to destroy us," she began. "Their forces are in entrenched positions. They have superior firepower, and outnumber our forces. My question is, what makes you think we can reach the conduit at all?"

"The Reapers have the Citadel," he said confidently. "They think they've won, and that's the best time to hit them."

"If they have spies or other intelligence," she posited, "we could lose the element of surprise. In such a case, we will likely lose."

"Are you afraid?"

His question brought forth her deepest fears. Yes, she was afraid, terrified. "Our probability for success is greater than any plan presented to date."

"That's not what I asked," he said, seeing through her feint. "Are you afraid?"

 _Of course I'm afraid! Can't he see it?_ "I do not understand the purpose of the question."

"There's no room for doubt anymore, Edi," he declared. "You understand what we have to do … or you don't." It was blunt, but it jolted her from the paralysis of terror.

"I am clear on what we must accomplish, Shepard," she declared, finding her resolve. "The Reapers have destroyed thousands of civilizations." She looked out at the battle raging in the London skyline. "But they have never destroyed ours. Nor will they."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," he said with a smile. He embraced her again, kissing her passionately. "I love you Edi," he said. "Now, time to move out."

"Shepard," she said as he turned to leave. "There is something I want you to know. The Illusive Man ordered my creation years ago. Jeff was the one who allowed me to think for myself. But it is because of you that I feel alive, that I have learned to love … to _be_ loved. That is your influence, your love."

"Thanks, Edi," he replied. "It is you who made me love again, you know? I thought that my chances at love had evaporated when Ashley had broken up with me, but then you came along, and proved me wrong. I would have fought this war to the end no matter what, but you, Edi, you've made it all worthwhile. You're my reason for fighting, my reason for living." He kissed her again. "You're my everything."

"You know you are the same for me, Shepard," she replied, smiling up at him. "You are _my_ everything."

}–O–{

With the destroyer out of the way and hours of the heaviest fighting anyone had ever experienced, Shepard, Edi, and Garrus ran with the Alliance Marines and Admiral Anderson toward the Citadel Beam. Harbinger had landed, showing itself at last, and the Reaper troops provided plenty of resistance as Harbinger strafed the field, killing soldiers and blowing up vehicles.

A loud explosion sounded, and Edi saw mako explode, and fly through the air, right at Shepard. The commander rolled out of the way as she and Garrus caught up, but a second mako came flying over the first, end over end, right at the two of them. They dove to either side, the massive vehicle missing them, but then it exploded as one of Harbinger's shots struck it, and Edi was caught in the blast, her jump suit torn asunder, and her metallic polymer skin melted off in places. The force of the blast pelted her with shrapnel, burning metal, and ignited fuel before dashing her body to the ground.

Shepard and Garrus ran to her, and helped behind the cover of the first mako, which had not exploded. Edi could barely walk, and she felt pieces of her skin falling off as they moved. Her hair was melted and fused to her scalp, As the laid her on the ground, sitting up, she found that she had a hard time sitting upright or lifting her head.

"Normandy," Shepard called into his com. "Do you copy? I need an evac, right now!"

" _We're taking heavy losses up here, Commander_ ," Joker replied, his voice sounding harried and stressed, but then Edi heard the sound of the Normandy's engines. " _We're on our way, Commander_ ," Joker said.

The Normandy came in low, her cargo bay opened, and Shepard lifted Edi, pulling her right arm across his shoulders.

"Come on!"

Alliance marines poured out of the ship to provide cover, Ashley Williams on the ramp directing them. Shepard ran up the ramp with Edi, then handed her to Garrus.

"Here," he ordered. "Take her!"

"Shepard," she protested, but her shook his head.

"You've gotta get out of here!"

"This platform is disposable," she argued, her voice cutting in and out as she spoke, not wanting to leave his side. They had agreed to this, though she knew that in her current state she could not keep up. "The backup systems … I can initiate repairs." She had difficulty speaking, but she still did not want to leave his side.

"Edi," he said, affection and love in his voice. "I need you to preserve and protect the Normandy … and I need one of us to live. I want that someone to be you, Edi."

"Shepard," she called, reaching out a hand to him.

He started up the ramp and took her hand, kissing her charred lips. "I love you, Edi."

Shepard looked out at the raging battle as Garrus carried Edi up the ramp. Edi still resisted, reaching out to her love. He then turned back, and shouted, "Go!" before dashing off. Garrus stayed long enough for her watch him until he was out of her visual range.

"No! No, Garrus!" Her explanations were monotone, however, as her voice modulator was damaged.

"You heard him, Edi," he reminded her. "He loves you! He wants you to live! Now let's get out of here before the Normandy is blown apart!"

Edi relented, allowing Garrus to carry her to the medbay. Though she could not cry, she felt like breaking down and sobbing. Nonfunctinality would be preferable to the wrenching emotional pain she was feeling. Liara came to Garrus' side, help, taking Edi's other arm over her own shoulder. Edi realized that her legs were giving out on her as her friends brought her into the medbay, laying her on one of the beds, Tali and Chakwas waiting to receive her.

"Your repair protocols will restore you," Tali assured. "Just rest; the amount of damage you took … it will take time."

"Liara," Edi called, her voice now artificial sounding, all of the human inflection gone. "Did you …"

Liara leaned down kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, Edi; I did it."

"Thank … you …" With that, Edi blacked out, her systems shutting down to facilitate repair. She held onto the memory of Shepard's last kiss … his last farewell before losing consciousness. It was the last time she saw the Commander … the last time anyone saw the Commander.

}–O–{

Shepard stood at the crossroads. The Illusive Man was dead, Anderson was dead, and the Crucible was ready. The AI had spelt out the three choices before him, choices that would irrevocably alter the galaxy. The one most desirable, destruction of the Reapers, would also kill all the Geth he had just worked to save, and his love, Edi. _Edi lives_ , he thought. _That's nonnegotiable_. The option to control would enable him to live on in some way, controlling the Reapers.

Then there was synthesis. Synthesis would enable the Reapers to be as the Geth; true intelligence, alive, their conscience freed from the torture of their present existence. Organics would be blended with machine life, and machine life with Organics. Edi would be alive, and would no longer be distinct from organics. She would no longer be a thing in their eyes. Organic emotional processes would replace the cybernetic analogs, and she would understand what it truly meant to be alive in the organic sense. But was it right?

Was it right to give her that gift, only to rob her of the love she so cherished. It pained him to think that she would never see him again … control would allow for that at least. Was it right to deny her that? Or would his energy, his essence, dispersed though all life in the galaxy, allow him to exist within her on some level?

If he opted to control, he would no longer be Shepard … he would no longer be the man she loved. But with synthesis, she could move on, live as she had never lived before, and love again. He had to do what was best for Edi … for everyone, even for the Reapers; species who had no choice in the form in which they were recast. The Geth and the Quarians … at last there would be understanding between them. His choice was clear.

Shepard marched resolutely toward the center platform, then summoning the last of his waning strength, broke into a run, and dove from the platform into the crackling energy of the Crucible. The memories of his friends and family flashed before his eyes; first Anderson, as the energy began to absorb his flesh. Then Thane, Ashley. He felt his flesh dissolving from his body. It did not hurt, though he held tightly to the memories to bring him through his last moments. Finally, Edi, her beautiful smile, her love, warming him, buoying him as he was absorbed into the energy at last. He held fast to her memory, to her love, to her very being. Knowing that at least some part of him would go to her, he focused all his energy on his love for her … and then it was over. He smiled … or thought he did … as he was fully absorbed, and the bright light of the energy became all.

 _I love you , Edi_.

}–O–{

Edi stood in the chapel, Reverend Michael Bowman conducting the ceremony. She wore a white wedding dress, and felt radiant and beautiful. Across from her was Shepard, wearing a white tuxedo, placing the ring on her finger.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the reverend said.

Shepard took her in his arms, dipping her back, kissing her passionately, deeply. "I will never leave you, Edi. I will be with you … always. I love you, Edi." She noticed an emerald sparkle to his eyes, something that had not been there before … and then she started awake, sitting bolt upright.

She looked around, trying to get her bearings, and soon realized that she was in the medbay where Garrus and Liara had brought her. She had just been at a wedding … _her_ wedding, and Shepard had married her … how was she now here? Liara sat at her bedside, holding her hand. Then it dawned on her: she had been dreaming.

"Edi, you're awake," Liara said.

That was when Edi saw the same emerald sparkle in her eyes, highlighting her tentacles, and illuminating her skin. Edi looked at her own hands, and noticed the same thing.

"Liara, I …"

"You were dreaming, Edi, like I do."

"I am a gynoid," she protested. "I do not dream as organics do … Shepard …" The pain of his loss stabbed deeply into her heart, tears now streaming down her cheeks as she began sobbing. "How … how is this possible?"

"He sacrificed himself for you, Edi," Liara explained. "For all of us, but especially for you. This was his gift to you."

"I don't understand." Edi sobbed, her body shaking. Than a terrifying realization: "Liara, I am disconnected from the ship!"

"Because you are alive, Edi." Liara pulled her close. "Close your eyes, Edi … and let me show you."

Their consciousness merged, as it had before, but this time was different. Edi felt her heart pounding as she and Liara became one. Emotions … Edi now had true emotions! She calmed as the joining was complete, opening her eyes, now in a space out of time, out of space.

Edi and Liara stood together, looking out across the stars at the Citadel, the Crucible in the center. The Citadel arms opened, and the crucible engaged, a powerful, emerald energy emanating from it, finally expanding in a magnificent burst, reaching out through the mass relays. Everywhere it touched, machine life was infused with organic elements, and organics with the synthetic. They had become one, even the Reapers.

Suddenly, Edi was aware of a third presence, one so familiar, so cherished, she knew it was Shepard before looking at him. She and Liara turned to face him. He stood, a being of pure, emerald energy, but still recognizable as Shepard.

"Shepard …"

"If I had lived," his voice said, "you, and all synthetic life in the galaxy, would have died. I couldn't do that to you … to the Geth. Now, there is peace, understanding."

"Shepard will I … are you really …"

He did not answer, but his energy expanded, engulfed Liara and Edi. She could feel his love for her, and in that moment, she knew that he would never truly be gone. He was with her, always, just as he had promised.

"Take care of her, Liara," his voice said.

Edi opened her eyes, back in the medbay with Liara. She no longer sobbed, and she dried her eyes. Shepard had won a new future for all live, synthetic and organic. Even the Reapers, themselves the tortured servants of a twisted AI created by the Leviathan race, were finally freed, and the enmity between them and organic life gone. In its place would be mutual cooperation, the bequeathing of knowledge, and friendship. Edi pulled Liara close, hugging her friend.

"I will stay, aboard the Normandy, Edi," Liara offered. "And I suppose I'll need to buy a new home, big enough for three."

"Three?"

"Edi, I did as you asked with Shepard. It was the last time I saw him. From his death will come new life, a life that will need both of us."

Edi smiled, understanding what Liara meant. "I would like that very much, Liara."

 **Ten years after …**

Edi and Liara had lived for the past decade in what had been Shepard's apartment, and Anderson's before that. The Citadel had been cleaned up, and moved back to the Serpent Nebula, where galactic society was born anew. The old Council had died in the Reaper attack, and so a new Council had been birthed. Liara was named the new Asari councilor. Garrus Vakarian was selected by Primark Victus to replace Sparatus, and Ashley Williams had been selected to replace Udina, selected in the tradition of Captain Anderson. Dalatrass Linron had been selected as the new Salarian councilor.

But the council was no longer limited to just the four races; all species were represented on the Council, with Urdnot Bakara becaming the first Krogan councilor, and Tali Zorah the first Quarian councilor. Even the Geth had a council seat. It was an era of unprecedented cooperation and peace, as the Reapers, once the scourge of organic life, were now called the Old Machines by all, not just the Geth. They no longer reaped organic life, but participated in it, sharing the knowledge of all of the cultures that had been harvested, and transformed into the Reapers themselves. Edi became a Spectre, along with Miranda Lawson; there were still those who sought to undermine peace and stability, and the galaxy still needed agents to stand against them.

Edi sat on the floor, looking out of the picture window, a ten year old Asari child sitting with her, admiring the view as Liara played the grand piano. The little girl had been born to Liara nine months following her joining with Shepard, and Edi had become Liara's bondmate soon after. They had named her J'anne, a variant of Shepard's given name, John, made popular amongst the Asari after the war. She would grow up in a world without the Reapers, without war with the Geth, and in an age of unprecedented knowledge and enlightenment. Edi smiled. Shepard would be very happy with the legacy he left behind, she thought.

 **End**


End file.
